My Insane Jubilee 'Debate' vs the Far-Right Crazies
ICYMI: It's the viral YouTube video everyone is talking about. Have you watched it yet?
I have interviewed prime ministers and presidents from across the world. People who have run Mossad, the ISI, and the CIA. I have sat across from Hollywood celebrities such as John Legend and Mark Ruffalo. I have debated against top politicians and pundits in the Oxford Union, at Intelligence Squared, and on the Munk Debates stage.
But I have never ever had an encounter, a rhetorical clash, as insane, crazy, and shocking as the 'debate' I did on Jubilee Media's 'Surrounded' show, on YouTube, the other week.
It's called '1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives' and it featured me sitting in a room literally surrounded by a group of people that included a self-proclaimed fascist, a proud supporter of the Gaza genocide, and a bunch of white supremacists who insisted I "get out" of their country. I didn't hold back either, and unloaded on their ignorance, bigotry, and anti-democratic extremism.
This very viral video – what Jubilee specializes in! – has had over 8 million views over the past week, since it dropped on YouTube. But if you haven't yet seen it, you can watch the full 'debate' above and then wonder how I spent almost two hours staying calm and composed in a room full of unhinged racists and open authoritarians.
Oh, and if you're wondering why I chose to even do this debate, I took questions from our paid subscribers on exactly that topic a few days ago in a Zeteo online town hall. You can watch it below, and – if you're a paid subscriber reading this – you can leave your own feedback (questions? criticisms?) in the comments section below.
‘Fascists Don’t Believe in Debate’: Mehdi Unpacks His Jubilee’s ‘Surrounded’ Debate
“I don't debate people to change the other person's mind. I debate people to change the watching audience's mind.”
For the record, this entire 'debate' was a Jubilee Media production, it had nothing to do with Zeteo, and I had no idea beforehand who the 20 'far-right conservatives' would be – or just how extreme and bigoted they would be!
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This was like a chess master taking on 20 opponents in a boxing ring. I watched the whole thing but over 3 sittings. It was hard to watch. Some of those debaters were insane. I had to take breaks. I don't know how Mehdi does it.
At least Piers Morgan occasionally pauses to listen to a full response. Most of the Jubilee 20 just butterfly jabbed without landing a punch.
A very important debate as it shows the rest of us what we are up against. Truly unhinged fascists and racists. Trump has undone decades of all the Civil Rights movement’s progress! The fight has begun again.