The user of the term imagines a kind of independent position above or beyond the two contenders. The moral equivalence theory allows someone using the term to appear both objective and detached at the same time.
ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY j uː z ə ɹ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t ɜː m WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ m æ d̠ʒ ɪ n z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY k aɪ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n d ɪ p ɛ n d ə n t WORD_BOUNDARY p ə z ɪ ʃ ə n WORD_BOUNDARY ə b ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY b ɪ j ɔ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t uː WORD_BOUNDARY k ə n t ɛ n d ə ɹ z WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY m ɔ ɹ ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ k w ɪ v ə l ə n s WORD_BOUNDARY θ iə ɹ i WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ l aʊ z WORD_BOUNDARY s ʌ m w ʌ n WORD_BOUNDARY j uː z ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t ɜː m WORD_BOUNDARY t ʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ p ɪ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY b oʊ θ WORD_BOUNDARY ɑ b d̠ʒ ɛ k t ɪ v WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY d ɪ t æ t̠ʃ t WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY s eɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY t aɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY