Legacies

/ Alex Good

From Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, The Certainty of Dying, and Our Illusion of Control (2018) by Barbara Ehrenreich:

In the face of death, secular people often scramble to expand their experiences or memorialize themselves in some lasting form. They may work their way through a “bucket list” of adventures and destinations or struggle to complete a cherished project. Or if they are at all rich or famous, they may dedicate their final years and months to the creation of a “legacy,” such as a charitable foundation, in the same spirit as an emperor might plan his mausoleum. One well-known public figure of my acquaintance devoted some of his last months to planning a celebration of his life featuring adulatory speeches by numerous dignitaries including himself. Sadly, a couple of decades later, his name requires some explanation.

So the self becomes an obstacle to what we might call, in the fullest sense, “successful aging.” I have seen accomplished people consumed in their final years with jockeying for one last promotion or other mark of recognition, or crankily defending their reputation against critics and potential critics. This is all that we in the modern world have learned how to do.

From “Jake Paul beats Mike Tyson in manufactured mismatch as Father Time comes calling,” The Guardian November 16, 2024:

Tyson had already put the result, as well as the protracted and ridiculous hype surrounding the circus, into bleak context the previous night. Dragooned into an interview with Jazlyn Guerra, a 14-year-old social media personality who tags herself as Jazzy’s World TV, Tyson was withering in the way he dismissed the fight and his historical reputation. His words carried a dark meaning which ridiculed his contest with a YouTuber.

Guerra, who appears to be an accomplished teenager, was initially gushing in her enthusiasm for the bout after the weigh-in on Thursday night. She said it would provide “a monumental opportunity for kids my age to see the legend Mike Tyson in the ring for the first time. So after such a successful career what type of legacy would you like to leave behind when it’s all said and done?”

Tyson paused. It wasn’t a terrible question but he was in the mood to dole out a grim truth. “Well, I don’t believe in the word ‘legacy’,” Tyson said. “I think that’s just another word for ‘ego’. Legacy means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through. I’m gonna die and it’s gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that? We’re nothing. We’re dead. We’re dust.”

Guerra, to her considerable credit, was gracious. “Well, thank you so much for sharing that,” she said. “That’s something I’ve not heard before.”

Tyson wasn’t done. “Can you really imagine someone saying I want my legacy to be this way or that?” he continued bluntly. “You’re dead. What audacity is that – to want people to think about me when I am gone? Who the fuck cares about me?”

 

14 thoughts on “Legacies”

  2. Wow, he lowered himself to being “interviewed” by a 14 year old youtuber? That’s just sad and pathetic. and he knew it.
    He also knew he was doing this for the money and nothing else.

    What an ugly way to live….

    Like

    Reply

  3. A lot of online speculation I’ve seen surrounding the fight seems to be questioning if it’s rigged or not. But does it matter? Even in a loss, Paul is now more famous than Tyson to a lot the new generation of consumers. Even in loss, that he got into the ring with Tyson, would be celebrated by him and his massive fanbase. If Tyson won, his celebration I think would still be smaller than Paul’s. But it’s nice to know such things don’t seem to concern Tyson.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment