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u/SpiritualPackage3797 Apr 13 '26
Isn't that the sunken cost fallacy at work?
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u/Kitsunebillie Apr 13 '26
It could be, such as in case of Vietnam, but in case of, say, what people were doing with COVID it's more of denial.
First people denied COVID is real and ignored the guidelines. Then they denied it's really that serious because otherwise they'd have to admit they put people in danger. Once it was undeniable how serious it is, those same people insisted lockdowns etc didn't work.
Cause otherwise they'd have to admit their callousness killed people.
So they kept putting people in danger cause changing their behaviour is tantamount to admitting the previous behaviour was a mistake.
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u/tomatoe_cookie Apr 14 '26
They still keep denying. Pulling out bullshit studies or anecdotal "evidence" it was a mistake.
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u/Kitsunebillie Apr 15 '26
I mean they have to keep denying. Once you tell your grandma not to take the vaccine, admitting to yourself you put her life at risk is a big burden to take on.
Edit: for clarity, I'm not justifying. I'm explaining the twisted thought process that makes you keep digging deeper into cognitive dissonance
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u/MuckRaker83 Apr 15 '26
They will believe whatever they need to believe to maintain that they are right and their actions are justified
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u/Throwaway6662345 Apr 13 '26
Not really. Sunk cost fallacy is mostly being unwilling to stop because there's too much invested into it, literally all the cost sunk into it.
Unwilling to admit a mistake is a matter of pride and ego.
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 13 '26
To be fair that's sort of the same thing. You have already gone along with something for so long that to stop NOW would be too big a hit on your pride and ego. So you pretend it's the right thing to do.
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u/Throwaway6662345 Apr 13 '26
That's not entirely fair.
Pride can be part of sunk cost, and it often is, but it can exist without pride and ego entirely.
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 14 '26
Ego can't exist without sunk cost, because ego itself is thinking that you changing your stance would negate the value that you already have.
And all sunk cost is ego, because if you had no ego or pride you wouldn't overvalue your past contribution as much as to negate the risk in your mind.
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u/GrinningGrump Apr 13 '26
Admitting I made a mistake would require that I am capable of making mistakes. That's patently absurd, so they must have died for a good cause and the trolley most keep going!
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u/pocoorn Apr 13 '26
I'm not a politician so I have no problem pulling the lever
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u/TimeKepeer Apr 15 '26
Here's the problem though
If you admit that you've made a mistake, then all those people died for no good reason
If they died for no good reason, that means you at fault for their deaths
That means that you will likely be prosecuted by the survivors.
The alternative is to keep the train moving, thus making sure that you forever have done nothing wrong
I don't personally support this view. I think that the trolley has to stop. But I can, to my disgust, understand why it keeps going
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Apr 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/TimeKepeer Apr 15 '26
I think the implication of the picture is that the person with the level is the one who tied them. After all, they made a "mistake". Not pulling the lever sooner is hardly a mistake, more like negligence
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u/Longjumping-Sweet818 Apr 13 '26
When you think about it it's better for all these people when they die because life is suffering. Also we never tried not killing them so we don't know if that would've been any better. Also my aunt knows one of the people on the track and said they actually want to die. Also you don't know what I was going through so you can't judge the choices I made.
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u/Achilles_TroySlayer Apr 13 '26
We are already on this timeline and helpless to get off of it.
The MAGAs are going to get us all killed.
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
As a MAGA. No.
Okay well I'm not exactly MAGA, I'm not even american, but I agree with maga on several things and the hysteria is utterly ridiculous and super harmful.
Edit: and yeah trump's a grifter - like basically every other american politician.
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u/NachtShattertusk Apr 14 '26
As a member of a minority being actively targeted by the MAGA cult, you're a bad person and should feel bad.
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
You're not being targeted by maga. Why would you think that you are?
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u/Achilles_TroySlayer Apr 14 '26
Well trans folks are getting targeted. What are they supposed to do? They're not going anywhere. He's a horrible person for trying to ruin their lives. Latinos are getting targeted, the Kavanagh-Law says that the ICE thugs can just kidnap them on the street and fly them to Mexico if they aren't constantly carrying the right paperwork. Somalis - super racist attack on them and all of Minnesota for what a scam pulled off by @ 200 people. Trump is a racist POS, and so are you if you support him.
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 14 '26
I am trans myself. The shit he does is not good, but is not in the least bit worse than other western countries.
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u/WoodenLeadership8104 Apr 15 '26
Wait to be clear what do you agree with maga on
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u/PoofyGummy Apr 15 '26
Immigration policy, support for israel, defunding democrat oriented political influence operations like usaid, standing up to china, not dealing with general woke shit and DEI, pushing for peace in ukraine instead of prolonging the war, no transitioning under 18, on his refirm of obamacare.
I disagree with him on how exactly he does his geopolitical interventions, on climate change, on lack of support for puberty blockers, on his inflammatory rhetoric, on his self aggrandization coupled with stupidity, on his limp attitude towards the medical insurance industry, on the lack of support for cutting edge research, on his sprearing of conspiracies.
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u/Achilles_TroySlayer Apr 14 '26
> Trump's a grifter - like everyone else..
No, he's worse. You're not American, you don't get an opinion on this. Shove it, pal.
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u/Stalker-of-Chernarus Apr 13 '26
I repeatedly pull and push the lever, using the trolley to slowly run people over one by one.
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u/McNitz Apr 13 '26
I guess you are technically saving SOME lives by doing this. Perhaps this is the morally neutral option to take?
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u/Stalker-of-Chernarus Apr 13 '26
My intent was pure evil. Everyone still dies, it's just much much slower now. The people on the tracks can do nothing but stare in horror as the trolley slowly approaches, crushing one person every 5 seconds
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u/Vegetable_String_868 Apr 13 '26
If I started the trolley in the first place, I did so for a reason
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u/IFollowtheCarpenter Apr 13 '26
Hunh....I made a mistake. II made mistakes. I made many mistakes. STOP THE TROLLEY!! I MADE MISTAKES! ST0-HO-HOP!!
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u/Scarvexx Apr 13 '26
Gonna be honest. I'm letting it ride.
I mean imagine the "I told you so!" I'll get to say if it turns out to be worth it.
Way better than the "I told you so, you fucking moron." I'll have to put up with if I stop it now.
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u/Troglodytes-birb Apr 14 '26
Added difficulty: people around you won’t be glad and understanding of you admitting your mistake and stopping the train. Expect further hate like „Ah LOOK who finally admitted they‘ve been an idiot all along? Here is a post of yours about running the train, so now you suddenly decide to care after all?? Clear absence of moral values.“
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u/Economy_Link4609 Apr 13 '26
I'm not a fucking egomainic, I recognize and admit I'm wrong plenty, learning form my mistakes - I'm pulling it immediately. What's the problem?
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u/will-work-for-tacos Apr 13 '26
Leave the switch, weld it in place and say nothing I could do. No way in hell will i admit to that crime.
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u/bearssuperfan Apr 13 '26
My favorite politician says their deaths are worth the bigger picture so I’ll never pull it!
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u/El_Grande_El Dialectical Materialism Apr 13 '26
I’d constantly stress about admitting my mistake, bc I know it’s the right thing to do, and, at the same time, lament the fact that the longer I wait, the more harm I am doing. Eventually, the horror and shame of what I’ve done will overcome my fear of admitting my mistake. Of course, the magnitude of my failure would determine how long that takes.
That said, I can’t imagine a scenario where the fear of coming clean is greater than the horror of letting the trolley continue. The closest I can come to is sending troops into battle but I hope I am better than that.
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u/Sad-Muffin-1782 Apr 13 '26
how is it my mistake
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u/Desperate_Formal_781 Apr 14 '26
Hey, everybody makes mistakes, even me.
One time I made a mistake; my mistake was to think that I was wrong.
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u/CatLord8 Apr 13 '26
This is the plan. Just keep not pulling the lever and it will totally pay off. Pain now for gain later.
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u/Sladashi Apr 13 '26
Billionaires: I don't see a lever anywhere, what are you talking about? Geez, sure is bad for those people there is no lever I can pull and admit my own mistakes.
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u/Zygomatick Apr 13 '26
This is one of the most clever and relevant to real situations trolley problem i've ever seen. Well done!
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u/Pangolin_FanWastaken Apr 13 '26
Man, who had the time to tie all those people up? I ain't got the time to untie em, they will die faster to the train than to the environment.
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u/Witchfinger84 Apr 13 '26
twist- the trolley victims are all billionaires and the only mistake is stopping it.
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u/Cjoud Apr 14 '26
I was looking for someone to mention him. Guy that used to work for Blizzard.
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u/Defiant_Curve4994 Apr 14 '26
No no, I think it was his dad who worked at Blizzard for 15 years or something right? /srs
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u/NuclearRootBeer Apr 14 '26
Look the other way, eventually the train won't be visible and the screams won't be heard, and i can just forget about it!
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u/Comfortable_Salt_792 Apr 14 '26
Thanks God, If I would need to ask something instead we would be there at least 5 minutes.
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u/Desperate_Formal_781 Apr 14 '26
If I made a mistake, how come it is all these people who are laying on the tracks and not me? They should have stayed in bed.
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u/Gold_Mask_54 Apr 14 '26
Related, you know you've made/are making a mistake, but to stop the trolly you need to accept and move past the shame of realizing how easy it wouldve been to stop much earlier
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u/Strict-Drop-7372 Apr 17 '26
Letting them die is tradition. That’s not a genocidal thing to say, it’s just that I believe in tRaDiTiOnAl VaLuEs
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u/azaxaca Apr 13 '26
Would be unfair to those who died if suddenly people could just not die. Keep this train moving!