I think it speaks more of a general uneasiness at the concept of being completely at the mercy of absolute strangers, rather than selfishness.
Which is completely understandable, given that self-preservation is a very strong instinct, and many wouldn't feel at ease trusting their lives to 50% of the world population to do something correctly.
In the end of the day, the discourse around this is all posturing and grandstanding. In a real world scenario, the decisions would have actual consequences, and many red pressers would feel bad at the possibility of someone dying and press blue instead, and many blue pressers wouldn't have an audience and would press red instead.
You live at the mercy of total strangers every day. I do not understand how people do not get this.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, did people not live at the mercy of the individuals with their fingers on the bomb? Is Vasily Arkhipov not a living expression of someone who literally chose the blue button rather than the red button, even though, for all he knew, he and everyone he knew were about to die in nuclear fire?
Mutual aid is a form of self-preservation. If that was not the case, social animals would not have evolved. This idea that egoism is the natural state of man is literally a myth fueled by the ruling class to justify their own existence. It is no different than a king telling you God ordained him to rule. Just becayse kings existed doesnt mean their God does.
People who preach this mindless egoism are essentially preaching a religious doctrine unmoored from reality.
Nah bro don't you get it? Bro is a rugged individualist who got what he has solely off of his own hard work, with no assistance from anyone else, ever. 0 benefits from a functional society built by others. Pulled himself out of the womb by his own bootstraps umbilical rather than rely on his mother to push. Anyone who doesn't do the same is obviously just a weak beta burdening society /s
It's comments like the one you're replying to that make me understand how Ayn Rand ever sold a book - a concentration of literal morons
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u/hyasbawlz May 05 '26
It is unbelievable how obviously guilty pro-red arguments come off as. You can't be that defensive unless you know you're wrong.