It serves to educate newer people that haven't seen points before, and to reinforce and refresh the established views of a group.

It's irrelevant whether this person knows they're being discussed. You don't oppose fascists by debating the fascists, they're already gone and only a bullet will fix them. You oppose fascists by inoculating people that aren't fascist yet and pushing new people left.

The time to talk about non-violent ways to prevent the rise of fascism was 10 years ago, and should have included the shut down of all reactionary online media and sites that foster it (4chan etc). It should have included rounding up the people susceptible to it or already affected by it and doing re-education. Call it rehabilitation if libs like that word better for exactly the same thing. But shit is too far gone now, there are too many and rounding up and re-educating literally millions of people is no longer viable. Things are already on an inevitable progression to violence. In the meantime, inoculation and growing the left is all that can be done, other than advocating that you get armed.