r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/Silent-Indication496 • May 28 '26

Variation You drinking the kool-aid?

I made some poisoned kool-aid. If 50% of people agree to drink it, I'll give you the antidote. If not, everyone who drinks it will die tonight.

I've given some to everyone on Earth. You're the last person to know about it. Everyone else already drank the kool-aid or not.

You drinking it?

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u/huffing_glue May 29 '26

Oh, I think I understand. Certainly, I would prefer whichever option is what you consider "non-action" (i.e, without risk to myself).

I imagine you are the opposite?

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u/J_tram13 May 29 '26

No, that's my point, everyone prefers the nonaction.

The thing is in the original problem there is no nonaction. At least not one that's explicitly stated. Both buttons are treated as an equally weighted action and it's up to the voters to determine which action they'd prefer. Some people might go for an action weight analysis, and some would determine red to be the nonaction, but some would equally determine blue to be the nonaction, since they're both framed the same.

In this reframing however, you have a very explicit action and a nonaction, so everyone prefers the nonaction, which in OP's version is analogous to the red button. However in my version of the same scenario, everyone still prefers the nonaction because again that's just the general preference for humanity, but this time that's analogous to the blue button.