When ‘I Don’t Care If I’m a Nazi’ Isn’t a Dealbreaker

Last week’s episode of Surrounded with Mehdi Hasan was supposed to be a “debate.” Instead, it became something darker: a mirror reflecting just how normalized fascism has become in parts of the American far right. What should have been fringe, unacceptable rhetoric—public identification with fascism and casual Nazi apologia—wasn’t just tolerated. It was cheered. That is not just alarming… It’s dangerous.

In one jaw-dropping moment, a participant named “Connor” proudly said he was “fine being called a fascist.” When pressed by Hasan about being associated with Nazis, he shrugged and said, “I don’t care.” Even more chilling, he minimized the Holocaust, calling it “a little bit of persecution… which is bad.”

A little bit? Six million murdered Jews. Countless others imprisoned, tortured, or displaced. That’s not “a little bit.” That’s genocide… and the fact that this rhetoric wasn’t immediately shut down—but rather entertained, and in some corners, applauded—is what makes this episode a cultural emergency.

This wasn’t a man ranting on an obscure YouTube livestream. This was a well-produced, widely distributed show featuring a respected journalist. And when this man called himself a fascist? The audience clapped. This wasn’t discomfort. It wasn’t “just listening to all sides.” It was validation. It was celebration. This is how ideology metastasizes—first it’s ironic, then it’s defiant, then it’s real. And by the time it’s real, it’s too late.

It wasn’t just fascism. Connor also said, “People should vote for a ruling autocrat… if Trump is anti-Constitution, good.” This is a direct endorsement of tyranny. Of abandoning democracy. Of throwing away the rule of law, civil rights, and institutional checks on power. It isn’t fringe anymore. It’s being said out loud, on camera, by people with platform, and it’s not even raising eyebrows.

The company behind Surrounded, Jubilee Media, claims it wants to promote “open dialogue.” But let’s be honest: this was designed for shock value and viral outrage. Inviting 20 far-right extremists to spar with Mehdi Hasan isn’t a conversation—it’s a spectacle. And when hate becomes content, everyone loses. As disability activist Imani Barbarin said, “This is what the meme-ification of politics looks like in practice.” As is the norm in our world, when politics becomes a meme, hate becomes a punchline.

After the episode aired, Connor lost his job—and promptly launched a fundraiser on GiveSendGo, the far-right’s preferred platform. He raised nearly $20,000. Donors used Nazi codes like “88” in their messages.

So instead of facing consequences, he was rewarded. And he walked away more radicalized, more visible, and more supported than before. This is the ecosystem the far right has built: publicly spew fascist rhetoric, cry persecution, then cash in.

Jews Should Be Deeply Alarmed.

When someone shrugs off the label “Nazi,” that’s not just rhetorical. That’s a signal. That’s someone saying the Holocaust doesn’t matter to them. That Jewish lives don’t matter to them… and when people like that are applauded—not shunned—we should all hear the alarm bells.

We’ve seen this story before. It started with minimizing. Then scapegoating. Then violence. We know how it ends.

What We Must Do Now:

1. Stay vigilant. Track extremist rhetoric online. Teach kids and teens to recognize hate and disinformation in its early, meme-friendly forms.

2. Refuse to platform hate. Push back on media that puts Nazis and fascists in the spotlight under the guise of “free speech.” Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.

3. Build coalitions. Jews, Muslims, immigrants, LGBTQ people, people of color—we’re all at risk when fascism gains traction. We need each other.

4. Get loud, not just scared. Speak up. Call it what it is. Organize. Educate. Vote. If democracy is under attack, silence is complicity.

This was not just a debate… This was a fire alarm and it should scare the hell out of you. When someone says, “I don’t care if I’m called a Nazi,” that’s not abstract. That’s a person fantasizing about a world where you don’t exist.

Let’s not wait until they’re marching again. Let’s fight now while we still can.