1 Republican vs. 25 Kamala Harris Voters
"1 Republican vs. 25 Kamala Harris Voters" is the fourth episode of the Jubilee Media web series Surrounded. The episode features Ben Shapiro debating twenty-five individuals who intended to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2020 United States presidential election. The episode became particularly notable for a section in which Shapiro debated a transgender man named Shane.
Debates
Ben Shapiro introduced five separate topics which he debated, those being:
#"Kamala Harris' attempt to put DEI at the center of her policies is destructive."
#"Kamala Harris' extreme pro-abortion stance is morally indefensible."
#"Kamala Harris' border policies will turn America into an unsafe and bankrupt nation."
#"The Israel-Hamas War would not have started under Donald Trump."
#"Donald Trump did not commit to a peaceful transfer of power."
Production
Surrounded features one debater facing several people who disagree with them, with the aim of having people confront ideological differences directly. The episode came following an episode in which Charlie Kirk debated twenty-five college students and, according to The Mary Sue, "humiliated" himself with misinformation about fetuses.
At the end of production, Shapiro said that the process was "a lot of fun," adding that, "Other than a couple of minor hiccups, I think everybody was coming at this in good spirit and wanting to have a fun conversation. There are a lot of intelligent people in the circle, and it’s fun to hear what they had to say." and went on to become the fifth-most watched YouTube video related to the 2024 United States presidential election.
Shapiro quickly began to trend on X as users shared highlights of the debate. The Daily Beast described Shapiro as "flustered" as he tried to claim a lack of interest in Shane's genitalia and Shane refuted the claim.
Other debates
The Mary Sue described the debate as "a strange choice" for Shapiro to have chosen to appear in the episode. They commended the debater who asked Shapiro why he was upset by immigration to the United States and why he insulted United States Border Patrol by claiming they did not screen immigrants. They also determined that Shapiro's debater was simply trying to add context to Shapiro's blanket claim that immigrants need to enter the country legally, whereas Shapiro refused to acknowledge the context of how difficult the process is. They noted another debater using Shapiro's tactics against him by talking about Shapiro's emphasis on "American values" in response to Donald Trump's response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack. They referred to the debate on religious values as "hilarious" when he stated his claim and then went on to admit that the Bible encourages immoral practices such as slavery. Looking at the debate strategies in general, The Mary Sue said, "Ultimately, Shapiro got owned 25 times over. His opponents saw right through him as a fast-talking, nonsense-spewing man who gets flustered when people don’t just let him talk over them. Not only that, but every voter pointed out that he’s not concerned about fixing any real problems or considering the vital context for America’s issues, and he’s wishy-washy when it comes to his supposed strict moral code and American values."<ref name="TMS"/>
In contrast, The Daily Beast described the debates, except for Shane's, as "mostly cordial" and Shapiro's responses as calm.<ref name="TDB"/>
Debates
Ben Shapiro introduced five separate topics which he debated, those being:
#"Kamala Harris' attempt to put DEI at the center of her policies is destructive."
#"Kamala Harris' extreme pro-abortion stance is morally indefensible."
#"Kamala Harris' border policies will turn America into an unsafe and bankrupt nation."
#"The Israel-Hamas War would not have started under Donald Trump."
#"Donald Trump did not commit to a peaceful transfer of power."
Production
Surrounded features one debater facing several people who disagree with them, with the aim of having people confront ideological differences directly. The episode came following an episode in which Charlie Kirk debated twenty-five college students and, according to The Mary Sue, "humiliated" himself with misinformation about fetuses.
At the end of production, Shapiro said that the process was "a lot of fun," adding that, "Other than a couple of minor hiccups, I think everybody was coming at this in good spirit and wanting to have a fun conversation. There are a lot of intelligent people in the circle, and it’s fun to hear what they had to say." and went on to become the fifth-most watched YouTube video related to the 2024 United States presidential election.
Shapiro quickly began to trend on X as users shared highlights of the debate. The Daily Beast described Shapiro as "flustered" as he tried to claim a lack of interest in Shane's genitalia and Shane refuted the claim.
Other debates
The Mary Sue described the debate as "a strange choice" for Shapiro to have chosen to appear in the episode. They commended the debater who asked Shapiro why he was upset by immigration to the United States and why he insulted United States Border Patrol by claiming they did not screen immigrants. They also determined that Shapiro's debater was simply trying to add context to Shapiro's blanket claim that immigrants need to enter the country legally, whereas Shapiro refused to acknowledge the context of how difficult the process is. They noted another debater using Shapiro's tactics against him by talking about Shapiro's emphasis on "American values" in response to Donald Trump's response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack. They referred to the debate on religious values as "hilarious" when he stated his claim and then went on to admit that the Bible encourages immoral practices such as slavery. Looking at the debate strategies in general, The Mary Sue said, "Ultimately, Shapiro got owned 25 times over. His opponents saw right through him as a fast-talking, nonsense-spewing man who gets flustered when people don’t just let him talk over them. Not only that, but every voter pointed out that he’s not concerned about fixing any real problems or considering the vital context for America’s issues, and he’s wishy-washy when it comes to his supposed strict moral code and American values."<ref name="TMS"/>
In contrast, The Daily Beast described the debates, except for Shane's, as "mostly cordial" and Shapiro's responses as calm.<ref name="TDB"/>
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