u/Jackz_is_pleased

The government proposes an extreme plan to ensure blue victory. You are asked to ratify it. (Elaborated on in description)

Blue assured by extreme means.

I guess I got a little narrative with things. Sorry if it sucks.

You are an elected official in a nation's legislative body.

You are shaken awake, offered water and quickly hurried to your nation's government building.

On the way you are made as presentable as possible with the time allowed and brought up to speed.

Last night a red button blue button event was announced as you slept.

Baseline Blue button red button problem.

“Everyone in the world has to take a private vote by pressing a red or blue

button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone

survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people

who pressed the red button survive. Which button would you press?”

They elaborate: They say this button event takes place soon but there is time to discuss and prepare beforehand. Online there is fierce debate and a few polls of questionable validity going around. (The whole internet's current dynamic looks like this subs dynamic.) They also state that any who do not or are unable to press a button neither affect the count or gain immunity dying in a red win.

(The first part of course modification. The latter part I feel is a reasonable extrapolation of the baselines wording. If for example they can't move their body to press a button then this extrapolation prevents a soft lock.)

You enter the building last as you were hard to find. An emergency meeting is well underway and fiercely debated.

An emergency plan is being proposed and almost has the majority it needs to get the emergency powers approved for it. If you agree to their extreme blue plan it can be carried out immediately.

The leader of the group who proposed the extreme emergency blue measures -the ‘EEBM’ explains he and his supporters believe that blue MUST win to preserve all lives including those that cannot vote, or cannot without the facilities be assured to vote red and those that desire to aid these parties. Therefore they have an extreme plan to ensure blue victory, THE EEBM.

They intend to threaten everyone into voting blue.

1st blue voting is to be strongly encouraged and presented as the moral option.

2nd red arguments are to be censored. Voting red is to be framed as evil. Legally declare pressing red attempted murder.

3rd any who express that they intend to vote red are to be rendered medically unable to press buttons. (Doctors are in another room debating the least bad way to accomplish this.) So they can’t contribute to the red point total.

4th any missiles and weapons of mass destruction the nation possesses will be rigged with dead man switches to go off in the event of a red win. To devastate the red survivors killing many of them if red wins. Hopefully mitigating personal survival as a reason to vote red. Some of which will be pointed outside their borders, especially towards nations that are leaning towards a red plan.

5th any allies we have, assuming threatening to bomb them didn’t burn all our bridges, are to be encouraged to take similar measures.

The opponents argue this would be a violation of human rights and brutally authoritarian. They have some less extreme ideas, some want to go full red and others want to let people come to their own conclusions. None so unified as the EEBM guys, it would likely take much time to find a new consensus with anywhere near this backing. It's likely either this plan or no plan in the time available. (For this hypothetical, please humor this extreme assumption.)

They need just one more vote to gain the emergency powers needed to put their EEBM plan into action. They ask you to vote to approve the EEBM plan so they can begin right away.

Do you approve of the EEBM?

Bonus questions if you so desire.

Do the ends justify the means?

Does this affect your personal vote?

Would you consider this a true Blue win if it's coerced?

Would this really deter people from voting red?

Does fear of threat of death by nukes cancel out fear of death by button?

How do you imagine this would play out after the button event is over, either way?

Why were you so hard to find? And why do you look so messed up this morning?

A more brutal counterpart to my other post. Please try and engage with them separately.

Kindly refrain from getting too terribly rowdy in the comments.

vote your conscience folks

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u/Jackz_is_pleased — 14 days ago

Coordination attempt among blue. Coordination over internet allowed and blue attempts to get people to promise to vote blue. (Elaborated on in description.)

Baseline Blue button red button problem.

Everyone in the world has to take a private vote by pressing a red or blue

button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone

survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people

who pressed the red button survive. Which button would you press?

But today's twist is there is time to discuss and coordinate over the internet.

A movement of blues drawing conclusions that some would not be able to press a button or make an optimal decision are backing blue. To bring confidence to blue they are passing an online pledge all across the internet even translating into other languages. They ask that all add their name promising to press blue if more than 55% of the world promises to press blue also. (74 ish percent of the world has internet access currently. Assuming all of them checked online following the warning.)

Do you join this blue pledge?

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A more forgiving scenario than baseline.

-- I have a more brutal blue plan post for tommorow. Please engage with them seperatly.

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u/Jackz_is_pleased — 14 days ago

Assume a baseline button scenario.

Upon close examination of the buttons you find that you coincidentally have the appropriate tool to remove the bases and swap the colored pressable part of the button around.

If you choose to do so you may change out the buttons colors.

This would not affect their affects, merely disguise their natures as the other. If someone chose to press ‘blue’ they would instead be tricked into pressing red and if someone pressed ‘red’ they would instead be tricked into pressing blue.

Also for the purposes of this scenario you are among the first to visit the buttons. And there is only one set of buttons all must press in sequence.

You just happened to have the tool on your person when the powers of the hypothetical question whisked you away to vote in the button question. The hardware is of an unusual model and size making it highly unlikely that another person would also happen to have the appropriate tool.

Do you swap out the buttons colors?

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Bonus questions! To round out your comment if you so desire.

Would this affect your vote?

What if you did not know where you were in line?

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u/Jackz_is_pleased — 17 days ago