FnF News
đź“° FNF News | U.S. Politics & Commentary
Published: June 15, 2025
By: Khadija Khan
“Dude, You’re Worse Than Me”: When Centrists Get Accused from Both Sides — and Maybe Deserve It
The new political scapegoats aren’t the far left or the far right. They’re the ones who dare to say both are wrong.
In today’s polarized America, there’s an odd phenomenon growing louder on both ends of the political spectrum: hatred for anyone who doesn’t pick a side. The so-called centrists — the independents, the skeptical liberals, the anti-Trump conservatives — are under attack not for what they stand for, but because they refuse to stand for just one tribe.
In fact, some people are so committed to team politics that they’ve coined new insults: “bothsiderism,” “false equivalence,” “coward centrism.” But here’s a question no one seems eager to answer: what if both sides really are wrong sometimes?
A Culture of Hypocrisy: Left and Right, United in Denial
You don’t need to look hard to find examples of hypocrisy across the aisle. On the right, Republicans who once claimed to defend law and order cheered when a sitting president encouraged a crowd to march on the Capitol — then claimed it was all peaceful tourism. [Source: AP, Jan 6 Committee Reports]
On the left, Democrats who once decried surveillance and war under Bush turned into enthusiastic cheerleaders when drones flew under Obama’s watch. [Source: The Intercept, “The Drone Papers,” 2015]
And when Donald Trump sent billions to fund Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, progressives cried foul. But when Joe Biden did essentially the same under a different diplomatic package, the media softened it as “strategic balance.” [Source: Foreign Policy, 2023]
So who’s really consistent?
When Skeptics Are the Real Threat
Critics like political scientist Yascha Mounk and journalist Glenn Greenwald have noted that in today’s media landscape, the worst thing you can be is unpredictable. “If you’re a left-winger who occasionally criticizes the left, you’re immediately labeled a traitor,” says Mounk. “If you’re a conservative who doubts Trump, you’re a RINO.”
This is why figures like Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Rogan, Andrew Yang, and even Bill Maher are so polarizing. They don’t fit neatly into categories. They’re chaotic, hard to brand, and impossible to cancel — because their fanbases cross lines. That’s dangerous to a system that feeds off tribal loyalty.
The Internet’s Tribal Warfare Economy
YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have amplified the demand for black-and-white takes. If you’re not screaming that Trump is a fascist or that Biden is a puppet, your post probably won’t trend. Nuance is for losers.
Political commentator Tim Pool — himself criticized as a “grifter” — told Reason Magazine in 2023: “The moment I said something bad about Trump, I lost 10,000 followers. The moment I said something good about him, I gained 20,000. It’s like a slot machine.”
This “content economy” rewards extremes. And the middle? It doesn’t sell.
Case in Point: Immigration
Consider immigration. The right wants a wall. The left says abolish ICE. Meanwhile, over 2.5 million migrants crossed the U.S. border in 2023 — the highest number ever recorded. [Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2024 Report]
Both sides have failed to create a humane, enforceable, and rational policy. Biden reinstated Title 42-style expulsions while pretending to reverse Trump-era laws. Trump, for all his firebrand rhetoric, didn’t pass lasting immigration reform.
Where are the moderates who want secure borders and compassion? Buried under slogans and soundbites.
Maybe the Middle Is the Most Radical Place Now
It used to be that centrism meant compromise. Today, it often means calling out the corruption, extremism, and incoherence on both sides. That’s not cowardice — it’s clarity.
In a time when Republicans threaten democracy to maintain power, and Democrats flirt with censorship to control narratives, it might actually be radical to say, “None of this is good enough.”
That makes figures like Cornel West, RFK Jr., and even post-conversion conservatives like Liz Cheney strangely aligned: they challenge their own teams. And for that, they’re attacked more viciously than extremists.
Final Thoughts: We Need Better Enemies
To quote the late journalist Christopher Hitchens, “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
If being hated by both the left and right is a sign you’re doing something wrong, it might also be a sign you’re doing something very right.
So maybe the next time someone says, “Dude, you’re worse than me,” take it as a compliment.
đź“š Sources & References:
- AP News. “Jan. 6 Report.” 2022.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Operational Statistics.” 2024.
- The Intercept. “The Drone Papers.” 2015.
- Foreign Policy. “Biden’s Quiet Support of Saudi Campaign.” 2023.
- Reason Magazine Interview with Tim Pool. 2023.
- Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap. 2023.