To say I am dumbfounded by the proposed fight is an understatement. Why on earth would two successful businessmen fight it out in a cage? It proves nothing. It doesn’t prove who the smarter person is, or the better person, or the most courageous, or anything other than who is a better cage fighter.

They are acting like two high school boys planning an after school fight. Musk’s take on it is particularly embarrassing. He wants the Prime Minister of Italy to help him secure an ancient Roman site as the venue for the fight. A cage fight in a regular sports arena just isn’t enough for Musk, he wants a classical Roman feel about the event. There must be doric columns and ruins to capture the full scale importance of the fight. And this is from one of the most brilliant men on earth?

I thought Zuckerberg was being reasonable when he announced he was tired of waiting for Musk to commit to a date and, given Musk’s vague availability, has stated there may not be a cage fight after all. Of course, Musk, not willing to see this as an opportunity to gracefully bow out, upped the ante by calling Zuckerberg a chicken. Now, boys and girls, we all know what that means. You can’t call another boy a chicken, it is the worst possible insult. Once someone has been called a chicken there has to be a fight. It is a manner of honor now.

Thems the rules of after school fights. It is better to be beaten to a bloody pulp than to be called a chicken. Zuckerberg’s reputation is now at stake. If Zuckerberg doesn’t show up now, he knows he will be eating lunch with the nerds for the rest of his life. People will point at him and laugh.

In this day of hyper awareness over casual sexism it is a wonder that nobody is making a bigger deal out of the underlying reason for the cage fight. Men have to fight when challenged. There is no question. If he doesn’t, he is a coward. That two of the most powerful men in the world are wasting their talents and time on a cage fight match is disappointing enough but even more telling is that the world can’t wait to gather around the combatants to see them come to blows. I know I will be there.

And what lesson are boys learning from this. It is really swell. A boy must fight when challenged. There is no way to back down without damaging your reputation as a man. Although largely unspoken in today’s world, boys still thinks that the better fighter will be seen as the better man. So whenever the great minds of the world are pondering why young men are so violent, they might remember the lessons they learn at school because they are still very much at play.