029: Should Anyone Debate the Far-Right? feat. Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan, a journalist renowned for confronting power directly and dismantling opponents in political debates, joined Posting Through It to reflect on his viral appearance on "Surrounded" — a YouTube debate show that recruited him to argue against 20 "far-right conservatives."

Over nearly two hours, his opponents took turns sitting across from him and espousing racist bigotries, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and anti-democratic beliefs. When the cameras stopped rolling, Mehdi said one participant stood up and declared: "Left or Right, we all hate the Jews."

"No one said a word," Mehdi recalled.

The episode's explosive popularity (10.2 million views on YouTube alone) has reignited debates about "platforming" extremism and whether engaging with the far-right this way serves any constructive purpose. On this episode, we explore those criticisms with Mehdi, discuss his “hygiene tests” for debates, and explore why so many people who try to face off against the far-right end up failing.

Links for Mehdi:

* Check out Zeteo.com

* Read “Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking”

* Watch “7 Debate Lessons YOU Can Learn From My Jubilee Video”

* Follow @mehdirhasan on X and @mehdirhasan.bsky.social on Bluesky

Support the show and get access to weekly bonus episodes: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/PostingThroughIt⁠

Transition Music: “WILL U STILL U” by Jeff Rosenstock