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Absurd Trolley Problem Color Change Meme

This meme is a parody of the classic trolley problem ethical thought experiment. It depicts a red trolley barreling down a train track that has an extremely long line of people tied to it, with a person standing next to a track switch lever. The text on the image humorously states that pulling the lever does not divert the trolley or save any lives, but only changes the trolley's color from red to blue, highlighting the absurdity of focusing on trivial cosmetic changes while ignoring massive ongoing harm.
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pulling the lever changes the color of the trolley from red to blue

Overview

This meme is a parody of the classic trolley problem ethical thought experiment. It depicts a red trolley barreling down a train track that has an extremely long line of people tied to it, with a person standing next to a track switch lever. The text on the image humorously states that pulling the lever does not divert the trolley or save any lives, but only changes the trolley's color from red to blue, highlighting the absurdity of focusing on trivial cosmetic changes while ignoring massive ongoing harm.

Origin notes

This is a remix of the widely used trolley problem meme template, circulated on X (formerly Twitter) via the account @meme.jpg, as indicated by the provided RSS source. It is part of a trend of absurd trolley problem variants that subvert the original ethical dilemma by giving the lever a completely useless, meaningless effect for comedic effect.

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