What started as something like a barroom brawl devolved quickly into a cage fight, which was distressing for those of us who don’t drink and don’t enjoy mixed martial arts.

The symbolism, however, was rich.

Just two months ago, Elon Musk and Donald Trump were ringside in Miami watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship; this week, they were the ones pummeling each other while all of social media watched, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. But Trump and Musk are not the only ones sparring.

Political brawling has broken out across the country in ways that feel unusual, as if we are just a couple of social-media fisticuffs away from bringing back the great American duel, the kind that killed Alexander Hamilton. Dueling, however, has been called “ the violence of gentlemen ,” so maybe we are

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