Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Bullfighting - Sometimes the Bull Wins

I know almost nothing about Bullfighting, outside of the depiction in childhood cartoons and the occasional clip that appears on TV. This is surely because of what it is and that in general it is purged from the mainstream. The cruelty of it is shielded from the general public and not allowed to be glorified either.

Still, though I knew about it in general, I did not realize that sometimes the Bull wins. There is video of one Bull victory, but yesterday another incident occurred that can have the Bulls chalking up another mark. I don't mean to be insensitive, especially because this time, they got a teenager. Apparently, this 14 year old left Spain to fight Bulls in Mexico at his young age, and nearly got himself killed.

Public outcry has amped up even more, and I wonder, are the animal rights activists cheering for the Bull? It says in the article that the teenager had earned the right through several victories over his two years of bullfighting to cut the ears off of a defeated bull. WTF? Like I said, I knew little to nothing about the sport, but there can be nothing right about this teenager getting "carried several yards with a Bull's horn in his thorax and his lungs punctured." All reports that I have read seem optimistic about his recovery. Does the bull get his ears?

Okay, that was mean. Sorry. It should be his father's ears. Apparently, the Darwin Awards theory missed his father by allowing him to reproduce, to his son's misfortune.

2 comments:

JScoby said...

Like you, many people who do not understand bullfighting or toreo would consider that the bull "wins" each time the torero is injured. From that perspective, the bull has "won" hundreds of times for centuries.
Bullfighting or toreo from the point view of an aficionado, like me, has nothing to do with winning or losing- whether it's the torero or the bull. If we consider motor racing, we don't think the car defeated the driver because it crashed? It's simply out of the race, etc. It is ridiculous to conceive that toreo is about who wins. The idea of winning or losing- whether it be the bull or the torero- is a foreign concept to toreo aficionados. Toreo is not about winning or losing.
Please note that for hundreds of years men and women of all ages have been toreros or have aspired to be toreros. It is nothing new to see "teenagers" who want to be toreros get injured. "Teenagers" have been participating in torero for hundreds of years. One of Mexico's greatest toreros, Miguel Espinosa "Armillita", who recently retired, began training to be a torero since he was 7 or 9 years of age. That's typical for many who aspire to be toreros. It is nothing new in Mexico, even in Spain! In this case, the goring was so severe that it gets news coverage.
Many people may not like bullfighting, that's fine; but they should not talk without knowing!
Lastly, whether the bull lives or dies is not a valid argument. Granted, when the animal dies it should be with some dignity, and little fear. The bull will die! In the United States all bulls or cattle die at the slaughter house when they are 3 to 6 years of age, if I remember correclty, and then they to the meat market. In toreo countries where "fighting cattle" are bred, they go to the slaughter house at 4 to 6 years. All the other bulls or fighting stock go to the slaughter house and then to the meat market just like in the USA. (Fighting bulls which are set aside for the bullring are raised in the wild from birth until they go to the ring).

Cegarl said...

Bullfighting is cruel and evil. It is also very one sided. I cheer for the bull and celebrate the demise of the cowardly bullfighter. Cut the neck and shoulder muscles of the bullfighter and then see how effective he is.