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The metaphor

Did you happen to watch the metaphor last week? One of the best jokes, besides the metaphor itself, going around social media pointed out that Jake Paul now has more wins at AT&T Stadium than the Dallas Cowboys this season. I mean, calling it a win is a bit much; it felt more like an aggressive hoe down.

The symbolism of it all, though, coming on the heels of Americans voting Donald Trump back into office, was top notch. A brash huckster who made his fortune in ways not many understand and fewer still would consider honorable coming up against an aging maneater who embodies a traditional and core American belief that you can go from the streets of Brooklyn to being world champion. I wanted Tyson so badly to wipe the floor with Paul, and I know I’m not alone. I wanted repudiation, the elder pro to clobber some sense into this young punk. My nostalgia, though, blinded me, and I bet I’m not alone in that either.

There’s a purity to what Tyson does – or did. Could you engineer a better fighter? His upbringing was incredibly rough -- he’d been arrested 38 times by the age of 13 – so it’s hard to wax too lyrical about a kid put in that situation through no fault of his own. But unlike so many other kids, Tyson found a way out, and worked his ass off to become the best boxer of his generation.

Everything in his life was aimed at those three-minute spells in the ring. I wasn’t a big boxing fan in the 90s when Tyson was at his peak, but it was hard to miss it when he was fighting on a Saturday night. His ferocity was capitalistic. He destroyed opponents, often in the first round. Watching him fight last week, I realized the appreciation I have for watching someone who has dedicated their life to a single pursuit, and they excel at it. This was an American ideal I grew up with, you work hard to get what you’re after.

That idea has taken some body blows in recent years. Donald Trump is a liar and a con man, a racist and misogynist whose vile character is animated only by vengeance and greed. He’s not the guy who worked hard to succeed in this country. He fails upward. And yet so many Americans look up to him. They validate everything that’s wrong with the man.

I wanted release in the metaphor. I’m not saying Jake Paul is Donald Trump, just that in the metaphor he’s a perfect stand in. But again, nostalgia took over my senses and I should have known Tyson wouldn’t have the gas he did in the 90s. But I also thought this country would see through Trump’s lies and support a candidate who wants to make things better for people.

So Paul walks away with his $40 million and Tyson with his $20 million. And I’m left feeling naïve for still believing in American ideals. It’s going to be a long four years. Maybe the metaphor is all that’s left to believe. — Matthew Leising, editor in chief, Decential Media

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