3 REASONS: The Musk-Zuckerberg cage match is a symptom of all that is weird about the world right now

So the news two of the richest men in the world, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have agreed to the pageantry of a cage fight.

And UFC CEO Dana White says it is serious. It could have an eye-watering $100 pay-per-view ticket on it, with proceeds going to charity.

That is the puff-piece about it so far.

Of course the sedentary cultural zeitgeist is gobbling it up. It is pernicious in that way.

After all, we have seen YouTubers box each other out, taking the seriousness out of a sport which historically has the seriousness of a Robert Mugabe speech at the United Nations.

And back to the Musk-Zuck proposed slugfest.

At a period in time when the world needs all the seriousness it can get to deal with really important issues of the day, this is what we have come up with. When humans are at their most exposed in decades, when the world reeks of putrid poverty, as new dangers emerge on a daily basis, this is what we have proposed.

Two pulverous egomaniacs, prancing about.

And here are the three reasons it is weird.

The Performative

This dates back to weird despots of the Roman age such as Nero. The man would rule, yes, but then spend time doing music for the nobles who could afford it. And even if it was bad, noone was allowed to leave. Some people reportedly died while they watched.

Now we are not saying people will die watching this. What is certain is that this is meant to lock you in to their universes, or even yet, distract you from aspects that may be nefarious about it. Sure, let’s forget how Zuckererg has for commercial purposes willfully injured countries and communities. His intent may not have been to particularly hurt someone, but he allowed algorithms which caused trauma to many. And with this, we must all forget and think, well he sure can pack a punch.

And we understand people who would say as Heath Ledger’s the joke did, “Why so serious?”

But as alluded to earlier, there is a lot these rich men can aid with.

The cancerous nature of capitalism

Everything is a great idea until capitalism touches it. People used to go for picnics. Then they were commercialised and we were charged for entry into spaces. Recreation was commercialised and our habits were changed.

These men are part of a cohort which has resulted in much of the damage we have to the world. Sure, they will talk about how the claim to be helping. They will say they connected people and aided one thing or the other. But to what end. Relationships were devolved into transactional. And in this we see it. If they wanted to have a good ol’ tussle as friends, it could have been in the privacy of their homes. Yet, they want to show it all of us, monetise it and soothe consciences because it will be given to charity.

Oh, will it come with a tax break?

After all, isn’t that the point Corporate Social Responsibility? Sorry they call it Corporate Social Investment now. Not just helping people but to be seen to be? And then the tax break?

A silly people

“So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous, and cruel as you are,” said T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia.

Sure, it was ironic that he was giving the Sherif Ali lectures of this nature when his own tribes were involved in a little quarrel called World War I.

But the point, as it gathers from the previous stands. Whereas the many men who built the world we now live exhibited public seriousness, many of the leading lights, thanks to boundless wealth for which they can find no further use, tend towards silliness. Whether it is flying to space for fun while you don’t pay your workers minimum wage, buying swathes of land to disinvest local culture from their homes and beliefs, among other things, it all doesn’t matter.

In effect, part of the gallery starts embracing the silliness and think it personable. After all, in the modern world, being rich lets you get away with anything. And it makes you sound smarter than you are.

Now this is not telling you not to enjoy this weird addition to the hodgepodge of the modernity.