I have not been to a bullfight. When my kids were younger, we took them to a rodeo in Northern Wisconsin and frankly it was upsetting to all of us to see. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to go to one, but I can understand seeing it as a cultural experience.
We went to a rodeo once because we were given complimentary tickets and were curious. We only lasted about 30 minutes before being overcome by the dust which kicked up all our allergies. We didn’t find attending it particularly rewarding and would not go again, even if someone offered to pay us to attend.
I didn’t realize that the horses are blindfolded! That makes it even worse. I can’t imagine their terror.
I’d just sit under a tree and smell the flowers.
I went to a bullfight when I was in high school when our Spanish teacher took a group of us to Spain. I still remember it vividly forty years later. It was awful – I became physically ill. I would never go again.
They used to show bullfights on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Most were Spanish but a few were Portuguese, which are about acrobatic encounters with the bull not weakening and killing it in the arena.
I’ve been to a slaughterhouse - took farm animals there though they wouldn’t let me watch the actual stun/kill - and of course there were chicken kills, which disgusted me. That said, I wouldn’t go to a bullfight because you’re either rooting for a man to get hurt or for an animal to be abused and killed.
Oh make no mistake, even though I wouldn’t spend a dime on the bullfights, I’m rooting for the bull to take the man down with him.
The man is there voluntarily. The bull is not. Guess which one has my support?
Would not go. Period!
Whatever you decide, remember you can’t UNSEE and UNFEEL the experience if you attend.
I love the Ferdinand reference Stradmom!
Update-had a fabulous trip to Spain!
And I went to the bullfight. I researched bullfights and learned a lot about the culture before I attended. It was fascinating and I had very mixed emotions but glad I went in the end. . The human element makes it very different. The best fight is between the fiercest bull and the best matador. Respect for the bull as a fierce and worthy competitor is apparent from beginning to end.
Someone mentioned the horses being blindfolded–yes, to keep them from being scared. They are HUGE horses and heavily armored (nearly totally covered) with pads (steel reinforced–armor) to keep them safe.
I’m glad you enjoyed watching an animal being tortured to death. Hope you enjoyed your “cultural” experience.
Going to go to a dog fight when you’re in Detroit next time? I can introduce you to some of the most “authentic” rings.
(Yes, I’m bitter. No, I don’t apologize.)
Wow, that was uncalled for, romani.
So is going to watch an animal suffer and die for the experience.
I just returned from a fabulous trip to Spain last week. We did not go to a bullfight. My sense is that bullfighting is not a prevalent ‘sport’ in the culture anymore. Soccer is a much bigger deal with the soccer stars pictured in lots of store windows and bars full of fans cheering for the soccer.
For tennis fans, I also noted that Rafael Nadal is not the huge Spanish hero I had imagined before we went. I sat in a bar watching the final of the Mutua Madrid, in which he lost to Andy Murray and only a few people were glancing at the TV occassionally. Not the rapt attention and rousing cheers as for the soccer.
gouf,
I’m glad you had a positive experience at the bull fight. I have never been.
I think people have gone emotionally overboard about their protein food sources. Animals are not people. People eat animals. Bull fighters, like hunters, have a special appreciation and respect for the animals they eat or wear everyday, because they have been physically close to the animals’ power and vitality. Unlike those who eat factory processed protein and wear or use their by-products but have never been physically close to a cow or chicken in their lives. They probably don’t think twice about throwing out half a cheeseburger or a couple of extra chicken nuggets.
Just a point of clarification…Spaniards in no way consider bullfighting a “sport”…discussions of it don’t appear in the sports section of newspapers. It’s considered more of an “art.”. And yes, romani , we all know that makes you livid.
I’m glad you are brave enough to post your experience here.