A Vegetarian Goes To A Bullfight

I have a policy while travelling that I try and never say the word 'no.' Do you want to go get a drink? Yes. Is one more round of sangria really a good idea? Yes. So it is true that Australians have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol? Yes. These are probably bad examples, but you get my point. When I'm travelling, I don't like to close myself off from new experiences and opportunities. I guess you could call me a 'Yes Man.'

When the question was 'Do you want to come to a traditional Spanish bullfight?' I had a little more trouble answering. I was torn because I knew I would hate it and I didn't really want to financially support animal cruelty. I spoke with Rafa and Carola to get the Spanish opinion on the tradition. They enjoy the bullfights because they fully understand and appreciate the skill and ceremony behind it. For bullfighting aficionados it is considered an art form with deep ties to Spanish heritage and can even be seen as a symbol for Spanish culture. So I decided to approach it with an (attempted) open mind and said 'yes' to seeing a bullfight. 

The opening ceremony part was actually quite enjoyable: a bunch of guys in sequinned outfits twirling pink and yellow capes - fabulous! Throw in a pasodoble and I would have been positively enthralled. 

FIERCE

But then they brought out the bull and teased him with their capes. I don't want to go into too much detail because I find it to be actually really upsetting, but they disorient the bull with their capes and prod his neck muscle with harpoons. They also bring out a blindfolded horse to stir up the bull - which is exactly what happened and the bull gored the horse and tipped it over. Then the matador emerges and does a dance with the bull for about ten minutes before piercing him with a sword. At this point, the crowd goes nuts cheering for the matador and waving white handkerchiefs to signal their approval. The bull slumps to his knees and then one of the banderillas stabs the bull in the head repeatedly util the bull finally dies. The matador then poses for his applause while the bull is dragged out of the arena. 

It was so confronting to watch. In my opinion, I witnessed a cruel, slow torture of a confused animal, who was taunted and killed for entertainment. The 'artistic' side of bullfighting didn't register with me at all. I know that the movements and the processes had some sort of significance to the Spanish audience, but I couldn't stop focussing on the bull's suffering.

I think six fights were scheduled for the day but we left after the third because once you see it, you can't unsee it, and we didn't see any need to see it again, you see? I left feeling pretty depressed but very happy that I don't eat beef. 

I regret having contributed to organised violence against animals as entertainment, however,  my attempt to learn about the tradition and understand the cultural significance of the bullfight means I can now advocate against it without being a hypocrite. I do think the phrase "it's culture" is used as an excuse for numerous cruelties throughout the world and I'm not comfortable with that.

Ultimately, I understand the cultural 'heritage' of bullfighting in Spain, but I absolutely hate it. In my opinion, bullfighting is complete bullshit. Perhaps it wasn't a great idea to base my entire travelling philosophy on a Jim Carrey movie.