I hate bullfighting...?

Question

but what is the justificating for it, traditionally? I won't knock pro-bullfighters if they offer a valid opinion instead of abuse.

Is that a deal?

Answer 1

I think they said it all!

The one thing I would like to add though is...

The bull that is killed during a bullfight is a "toro bravo". They are bred specifically for this sport and once they die in the arena, they are taken to a butcher and are actually eaten.

Yes technically you can consider it abuse, but it isn't like taking the fur out of an animal just for a coat, and leaving the animal to rot.

Answer 2

Can't really add much to the above - except to say I'm baffled why the EU hasn't banned it.

Please don't be offended by my avatar - it doesn't imply support for 'la corrida'!

Answer 3

Same here I think...

Answer 4

What is it justifying traditionally? Probably the age-old "Man versus Beast" issue. It's something that's been going on since the beginning of time?

Does that then make it "politically correct" or justified? Of course not. It's a simple question of giving people what they want. People stop at a car crash to see if anyone's died. People stop to watch a fight among neighbors because they want to see who wins. This is why the television show COPS is so popular (in the USA) and why the movie Gladiator sold so many tickets, we get to sit in our armchairs while watching others risk their lives, try to escape, or watch strangers fight. It's morbid, cruel, and disgusting to many but entertaining to just as many.

Over my life I've heard many "normal people" mention that prison executions should be televised, that the ratings would never be higher. There's always going to be a segment of the human population which find this kind of spectacle a form of entertainment - bullfighting included. Where there are people willing to "risk" their lives in front of an angry bull there are many many more people willing to pay to watch it.

You'll find some discussion from a question on this same topic from a week ago entitled "Bullfighting?" at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Here's what I said in that same thread:

You're likely to get more negative responses than positive ones. Those which oppose it are extremely vocal and those which support it tend to hide their interest.

I've seen a number of bullfights here in Spain. And sometimes, although rarely, the bull does win. I've seen the bull win 2 or 3 times so far but imagine that once the winning bull proudly strides out of the ring he still meets the same fate.

What do I think about it? I think, for good or for bad, it's part of Spanish society - the money-making society, that is. Last year some new cruelty to animals laws were penned in the national government and, not-surprisingly, no mention was made of bullfighting.

Many people think that bullfights are only for tourists. That's not true. When you go to a bullfight you see the population is about 90% Spanish - maybe higher. Most of those attending are generally older, generally conservative, and a wide discrepancy in economic class. You generally have well-to-do people and working class people but few from the middle class.

When people ask me, I always tell them to choose the "Sol Y Sombra" ("Sun & Shade") seats. These are the mid-priced tickets and most of the action takes place on the "Sombra" side. The "Sol" side, while the seats are much cheaper, you can barely see anything for the blinding sun in your eyes. Plus, it's much hotter due to the sun. I also tell people to spend the 2.20 Euros for the seat cushion. Your rump will thank you. Otherwise you're sitting on concrete.

The Madrid bullring, as many are, were not built with taller Europeans in mind. I always have my knees jammed into the back to the person sitting in front of me.. This is not pleasant during the 1.5 hours you're there.

Not only is seeing the blood running down the shoulder of the bull rather disgusting, watching the bull ram a blindfolded horse - and sometimes toppling it on its side - is sad. The horse doesn't even know what's happening.

For good or for bad, bullfights are a true Spanish "spectacle" and not likely to leave anytime soon.

Definition of "spectacle": In general spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates.

Bullfights certainly are a "spectacle". They're hard to forget if you haven't seen very many.

Saludos, BarcelonaMan (@YouKnowWhere")

Answer 5

Centuries ago, bullfighting was practiced by nobility as a substitute and preparation for war in the manner of hunting and jousting. Religious festivities and royal weddings were celebrated by fights in the local plaza, where noblemen would ride competing for royal favor, and the populace enjoyed the excitement. In the 18th century, the Spanish introduced the practice of fighting on foot around 1726.

During the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975) bullfights were supported by the state as something genuinely Spanish - this is key. Many supporters of bullfighting regard it as a deeply ingrained, integral part of their national cultures. The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull; it's seen as a symbol of Spanish culture.

Tradition is basically their ONLY justification, which is by bullfighting is losing more and more popularity by the day; it's also the reason it hasn't completely disappeared, because traditions are very hard to get rid of.

x

Answer 6

See, you might have a different viewpoint if you actually understood where the whole thing comes from.

Yes, especially in today's style, it's a pretty barbaric sport, and we are so whitewashed in our attitudes, because we don't get to see our own food and where it comes from, so the whole blood thing really seems gross.

But here's the origins.

Man used to tease and taunt big animals, as a test of manhood, and to see what they were capable of, even BEFORE there were bulls.  It's really that old a sport.  If you had lived in the time of Cave men, you might have seen youngsters doing the same thing with a wooly mammoth.

The ritual show of killing a bull in an arena much like we see today, goes back before the Romans were on the Iberian Peninsula, so, whether you enjoy watching the slaughter of the animal or not, it's out there, the people of Spain get REALLY into it.  (though it's really mostly older men who go to watch, nowadays.  Young people don't go with the same frecuency anymore).  It may, actually be dying out, but its history is so old and deep that, if you go to Spain, you ought to try going, just once, so that you can say you have experienced it.

Still, it is kind of gory, it's difficult for anyone who was NOT raised around it to understand the fine details of it, and it's long (I think) and can be really bloody, but if you take it as a show, full of history and pageantry, at least you have a groundwork for understanding WHY it's out there.

Answer 7

god what ever justification you get may justify it 200 years ago but in a modern society theres no need its quite a creul spot and is completly without a point.