Italy is a playground, or rather, a ring. The martial arts match between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg in the Coliseum is such ridiculous news that it hasn’t caught the public’s eye for months any more than those involved expected. But that all changed yesterday after a frantic succession of overtures, denials and confirmations from the billionaire and the Italian government (yes, the executive has become an active part of this story).
For those few who haven’t followed, a quick summary: this Friday, the President of the UFC, Dana White, told the newspapers that he had met with the staff of the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, to organize the MMA match at the symbolic monument of to organize in the Italian capital and has disputed previous statements by Sangiuliano himself, who had branded any involvement of his ministry in the matter as “fake news”, while maintaining an open stance (he would only have given the green light if the proceeds destined for the reconstruction of the flood-stricken Emilia) came up with the hypothesis of a “non-violent challenge”. […] maybe somehow surelya duel with dashes of Latin verses,” just to stay on topic with the caricatural nature of his recent utterances.
A few hours later, it is Elon Musk who clarifies the matter: the UFC is not involved, but the meeting will take place and will be managed by the foundations of the two impromptu wrestlers, who would publish the live streaming simultaneously on Twitter/X etc. Meta , all in an unspecified “epic place” of our country and the proceeds will be donated to the “veterans”. Needless to say, the Post went a few lines around the world and Italian newspapers went berserk at the news: It could be true, just as it could be another troll from Tesla’s founder willing to go ahead with the statement, as soon as the joke has grown bigger than him. It is not so. Not even half an hour later the Minister a take the floor on social media: “Long and friendly conversation with Elon Musk about a great historical evocation event,” writes Sangiuliano. “It will not take place in Rome. There will be a large donation to two important Italian children’s hospitals for the modernization of structures and scientific research to fight diseases.” So. At this point, all that’s missing is Giorgia Meloni and the European Commission, who give their blessing to the meeting and perhaps suggest who to campaign for.
The fact is that what seemed like one of the many summertime delusions has turned into reality, yet it’s more than legitimate to still have doubts. Never before has the owner of SpaceX made every effort to speak up about himself, and while this umpteenth outbreak affects us directly, we must not forget who we are dealing with. After the catastrophic management of Twitter, the social proliferation of Russian propaganda justified by ignorance on the subject, the chaos caused by the change in policy on verified accounts (a subscription of one hundred and fifteen euros per year is enough for the parody account one international has the institutional profile and not the original) Elon Musk reboots, challenging his number one rival, Zuckerberg, to once again push the boundaries of the ridiculous.
The announcement is so exaggerated that a brief denial, perhaps just before the actual event, or a belated correction would not be surprising. After all, Musk taught us that “for the meme” he’s capable of doing this and more. We don’t know how this remake will pan out Rocky in big-tech sauce, but caution is advised given the previous ones. Better focus on the real protagonist of the story, the one that interests us the most for obvious reasons: Gennaro Sangiuliano.
The commitment of the Minister of Humanities, one of the government officials most discussed in the newspapers, could not have come at a better time: in the period leading up to the announcement, Sangiuliano had propagandistically announced the protection of Italy’s cultural heritage, with all severity vandals and a retroactive ban, for Travis Jump Scott concert at the Circus Maximus. The law-and-order formula so dear to the Italian patriots of the majority. Two days after the controversy that broke out on the evening of the Texan rapper, the same minister rents our archaeological heritage for the maxirissa between the two influencer entrepreneurs. But beware, in this case it is more than justified, because “the proceeds go to children’s clinics”. Someone thinking of children would say Mrs. Lovejoy dei Simpsons. An original Italian story that ultimately makes people smile more than cause outrage. The real question to ask in the face of this whole affair is another: Italy needs to make itself attractive abroad, we all agree, but is that the way we want to achieve it? Apparently, in a very short time, the news sparked the usual ultra-polarized debate between those who see this initiative as a scar and those who see it as an indispensable opportunity to make known our historical and artistic heritage (after all, ancient Rome is one of them). many catchphrases together with the good food that we introduce ourselves to the world), but in the absence of a real strategy that goes beyond casual tourism, it is worth investing resources and making the country’s millennial heritage available as a setting are an initiative that we won’t be talking about two weeks after it ends? As we decide what to do, we’ll discuss Musk’s umpteenth idea. Italians always like to debate, debate and debate again and again.
