This is the second article by David Graeber (died recently) I've read today. About 15 years separate the two, but the style is similar. Can someone explain it

This is the second article by David Graeber (died recently) I've read today. About 15 years separate the two, but the style is similar. Can someone explain it to me: What is the joke? Or, what context am I missing? Wikipedia isn't filling in the gaps here.