Ignorance and Centrism, a Problematic Pairing

There is a category of quotes that draws awareness to the danger of extremism, which usually involves an analogy about how life isn't black and white and how it's a spectrum of grays or something similar. In general, this is fine. After all, one should understand that simple narratives of righteousness should be treated with suspicion due to the ulterior motives of others who seek to portray themselves in the best light possible. However, there are some cases where people try to view and fit everything in life through this impartial framing, where everything is a shade of gray and nothing is ever clear. Often, this worship of centrism is accompanied by a lack of interest in learning the facts on the ground, with the primary driver of opinion being the assumption that both sides are equally flawed, and as a result, acting with blind and unwavering impartiality is the most noble path.

I think the most clear example to illustrate the centrist cult is the online streamer influencer xQc (absolute GOAT 🐐 regardless of the criticisms that follow).

Case Study: xQc

Nearly every single time that xQc engages in a political topic, the same script follows. He reacts to the event and laments how unhinged politics has become. Suppose it's an event involving Trump and he's blathering about Biden or the radical left or the trillions of illegal migrants who are consuming the domestic pet population. In that case, he'll laugh at how absolutely insane it is that a person who's a media personality first and president second could be elected into office twice. If it's an event involving a genuinely crazy leftist, he'll criticize the person, mentioning how insane the left has become. Either way, the main message pushed by him, whether intentional or not, is that both sides are equally crazy and that centrists are the only ones without a couple of screws loose.

This belief in his own self-efficacy and ability to discern right from wrong has caused him to approach and form an opinion on subjects through vibes alone. When confronted with $TRUMP (a memecoin tied to the current sitting president) and its questionable practices, the immediate retort is to compare it with Nancy Pelosi's stock portfolio (alleging that she is insider trading). This would be a valid retort given the points at hand had equal substantive value and basis. This is, of course, not the case. $TRUMP coin is an infinitely more blatant and obvious case of a person in a position of political power abusing their influence for personal gain, while the allegations surrounding Pelosi's portfolio are based almost entirely on the fact that her portfolio has higher returns.

That is the critical difference that separates a healthy, impartial, and skeptical outlook from ignorant centrism. A genuine centrist seeks the factual basis of the situation and deliberates with their principles. An ignorant centrist sees a situation, reads the headline, and vomits out another headline they saw from the other side. One type of centrist thought is productive to the conversation, helping to discern the true value of the points being made by either side, while the other just serves to provide cover, whether intentional or not, to both sides and muddies the media sphere.

xQc's lack of effort to truly inform himself on the subjects he gives opinions on is not unique to him at all. Many people recreationally engage in politics, where they give their take based on first impressions. xQc, however, has an absolutely massive platform. Whether he wants to or not, he has considerable sway over a large number of people, and so when he gives such confident opinions about events he quite simply has no expertise or information about, it is almost entirely detrimental.

What about apathy?

On a tangential note, there are people who choose not to participate in politics at all or minimize their own role in it. However, if you live in a democracy and have the right to vote, political engagement is no longer a choice but a civic duty. There is no such thing as being apolitical in a participatory democracy; choosing not to participate is itself a political choice. Given the state of modern politics, though, it might be better for one's well-being not to engage with whatever reality we're in right now.