Poll: You wake up tied to a chair...

[lacktheknack]

Your head throbs. You crack open your eyes, only to have them assaulted by an overly bright lamp. You groan.

You're sitting in a chair in a nondescript room, with a door breaking the monotony of white walls. It's fully lit, but the lamp shines in your face anyways.

You find your waist tied to the chair with steel cable. You're unable to wiggle loose. Your left hand is tied to the armrest with the same cable, leaving your right arm free. You cannot loosen the cable.

The only things within your reach are two buttons on a counter.

One is labeled "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON". The other is labeled "PRESS THIS BUTTON". They are too far apart to be pressed at the same time. You can see a groove around each button, where a plastic shield will spring when you press the other button, so you can only press one.

Nothing will happen until you press one of the buttons.

What do you do?

 

[senordesol]

What kind of chair are we talking? Plastic? Wood?

 

[Dark Knifer]

I'd press the do not press one. Because I wouldn't trust anyone tying me up to chair without any kinkiness going on. Which there isn't so whatever *pressy pressy*

 

[Berithil]

I would probably over analyze the situation, but for the sake of the question, I'll go with "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON" just because whoever captured me doesn't want me to.


Or


Maybe, there's some reverse psychology going on, and the "PRESS THIS BUTTON" button is actually the good one....

 

[lacktheknack]

What kind of chair are we talking? Plastic? Wood?

I was thinking more along the lines of a dentist's chair. The main point is, you cannot break it to free yourself, or tip it over.

 

[lacktheknack]

So are these buttons a bluff? a double-bluff? or a triple-bluff?

Well, they certainly seem to work as a psych-out.

 

[Spambot 3000]

Keep hitting the chair with the back of my foot/free arm until I bust it (the chair that is).

 

[Wintermoot]

close my eyes and press a random button.

 

[the clockmaker]

I do nothing, the whole thing is arbitrary and under the control of whoever set this up. I press one button, I press the other, either way it is barking when some hidden person says bark. This is not a moral, spiritual or practical choice and my decision has no bearing on the outcome, I have no freedom of action here and so I reassert my freedom by taking no action.

 

[Angie7F]

Well, either I get released, or I get killed. Either way it is better than suffering.

 

[Queen Michael]

I'd press the button I was told to press. It seems like the kind of situation where you'd be punished for not ollowing clear instructions.

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, my first thought would be "This is probably a sadistic thought experiment in which many people are tempted with the Shiny Candy-Like Red Button they're told not to press and end up erasing the universe or something." and decide to actually follow instructions. See, I'm not going to second-guess this one for someone on a cold start where you might have some guy waiting to laugh because I got tempted by the button I'm not suppose to press. If I press the 'Press' button and something goes wrong, I know it's his fault because I did what I was asked and can't be blamed for it.

 

[Catfood220]

I'm going to assume that the "Press This Button" button releases me and the "Do Not Press This Button" sends a sexy redhead into the room to have sex with me.

I press the "Do Not Press This Button", blades shoot through the chair into my back, impaling me and leaving me bleeding out in this death trap.

Oh well it was worth a try.

 

[mrdude2010]

Fuck their games. I'd rather die than play along. I'm sure things would be different after all the torture, but we can all pretend.

 

[Leadfinger]

I'd press the do not press one. Because I wouldn't trust anyone tying me up to chair without any kinkiness going on. Which there isn't so whatever *pressy pressy*

Unfortunately, Jigsaw has anticipated this response.
captcha=is it plugged in?

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

There is no choice.

Those of you saying "I push the do not press" because I'm not going to do what the psychopath wants, are in fact doing what the psychopath wants.

Those buttons didn't magically appear in front of you, your captor put them there and labelled them and is now probably watching you to see which one you push.

I push neither and spend the rest of my 3(?) days before I die of dehydration trying to think of a way to escape.

I die happy knowing that I've frustrated my captor who has had to watch me doing nothing for three days, not playing along with the elaborate scenario they took time to set up and I leech all the "fun" out of my captor's experiment.

My captor may even get frustrated enough that they walk into the room to ask why I haven't pushed anything.

It puts the balance of power squarely back with me rather than with my captor who is trying to play a power/control game with me by giving me two pre-determined choices.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Spend 2 and a half hours worth of film time having flashbacks to my past week trying to decide which person would have been insane enough to tie me hear, decide to press the "do not press this button" and make a snap decision to actually press the "press this button" one then have another half an hour of M. Night Shymalan's twist and more flashbacks explaining it as well as the follow up ending.

 

[blazearmoru]

Your head throbs. You crack open your eyes, only to have them assaulted by an overly bright lamp. You groan.

You're sitting in a chair in a nondescript room, with a door breaking the monotony of white walls. It's fully lit, but the lamp shines in your face anyways.

You find your waist tied to the chair with steel cable. You're unable to wiggle loose. Your left hand is tied to the armrest with the same cable, leaving your right arm free. You cannot loosen the cable.

The only things within your reach are two buttons on a counter.

One is labeled "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON". The other is labeled "PRESS THIS BUTTON". They are too far apart to be pressed at the same time. You can see a groove around each button, where a plastic shield will spring when you press the other button, so you can only press one.

Nothing will happen until you press one of the buttons.

What do you do?

I'll wait and press neither. If I am about to die due to lack of water or such then I will press the press button.

Pros of Waiting:
1. Pressing neither is a choice within itself and it is this choice that has the LEAST amount of people.
2. Possibility of hints arising.

Cons of not pressing:
1. May piss of observer if they be impatient, but unlikely due to the nature of this "experiment" and need for result.

Pros of Press this button
1. A crazy person doesn't have to be crazy in all regards but rather how the inner workings of the brain work. The psyco in question could very well be irritated with how disobedient humans are and set this up. Unless given good reason on the psyco's side, the do not press button may very well MEAN do not press, and vice versa. Reasons to obey outweight reasons to disobey.
Cons of Press this button.
1. Most likely choice given the fear instilled in the captive. Above family, above friends, is the psychology of wanting to be freed from this captive uncertainty and people given no reason to do otherwise and in fear would most likely obey. Given this is the most likely choice, it is the least safe option.


Pros of Do not press this button
1. You get to find out why. Curiosity is a very driving force.
2. It will have fewer people pressing as opposed to the other button, and therefor possibly the safer option... Possibly.
Cons of Do not press this button.
1. Wraith of disobeying your captor. Your captor is also a psyco. Good luck after pissing him off.


EDIT! NO! I CHANGE ADD TO MY ANSWER!!!!

I
Will
ASK! \o/

yes, I will shout and ask my captor for instructions in hopes of hints. OH YEA