I don't get how so many people say pressing red is the right choice. Yes, if everyone presses red then nobody dies, but the same is true if everyone presses blue. But if almost everyone presses red, a lot of people die, and if almost everyone presses blue still nothing happens.
It would be funny if nobody dies but this was just a test if you are capable of large scale coordination - and everybody who presses red just looses their vote in society.
The simplest answer is: are you willing to bet your life on the fact that 50% of people on earth won't press red? For one reason or another, the reason they press red doesn't matter. For you, pressing red is safe, you risk nothing. Pressing blue is Russian roulette.
It seems like a simplified prisoners’ dilemma: it’s missing the negative weight if everybody presses red.
Should be clear that, when faced with a power capable of doing this, humanity should cooperate to entirely choose red.
Becomes more interesting if, whatever the outcome, choosing red somehow removes the ability to perform manual labor.
Ironic that despite the poll leaning blue, the replies to that post are full of people being as provocative and cynical as they can be, cheering on the death of everyone who didn't vote like them and smugly flailing around their perceived 'superior intellect'. It seems that for many people, voting red isn't just about protecting yourself at all costs, but wishing to kill the others.
We only know that people vote (slightly) blue in an inconsequential twitter poll. I think it's likely in a real scenario like this red would win.
Since anyone pressing red is safe everybody should press red. Then everyone is safe.
I want to press the blue button but I also want those who pressed the red button to die :).
If red wins, I don't want to be on earth with the people who were okay with killing 50.1% of earth - hence I will vote blue.
Why would I not press red?
Blue is just like red, but without the death. It's red premium. Why wouldn't you press blue?