by Paulette Redemske

Created on: September 01, 2008

Why should we get involved in bullfights? After all it is just one bull against not one but many morons including those that pay to watch this torture. Who are we to stand in the way of a blood sport that is a billion dollar industry? Who are we to stand in the way of way of proving yourself a real man to the tune of million dollar paychecks for the matador? I say, let men prove their manhood in every sense of the word, fairly, after all humans are superior to dumb animals.

The bulls have sand bags dropped on their backs before the fight. Their eyes are smeared with petroleum jelly to impair vision. The horns are shaved, these are likened to a cats whiskers, used for balance. Did I fail to mention that the bulls are also drugged before hand? The lance is placed by the picadors between their shoulder blades by riders on blindfolded horses, the horses know better than to ride up to an enraged wounded bull (they can and do sometimes become a victim to this blood sport), this little gesture ensures the bull cannot raise its head. Then come in the banderoles, men on foot with barbed daggers placed in the shoulder muscles of the bull to further promote blood loss thus weakening the animal even more. Let's not forget the tormenting of these men making bull charge blindly, increasing pain, blood loss and confusion. Now enter the matador, the killer', the man of hour, to entice the bull to dance the dance of death. With the repulsive conclusion of this entertainment, comes the last cruel act of either the dead or still living animal having its ears and tail sliced off, then being pulled off the dance area by the horns with chains. Next!

Is this type of savagery romantic? Is this barbarism poetry? Is this cruelty the proof that you are brave?

If this dance where a fair dance who would be romanticized, the matador, or the bull? The fate of bull is sealed from birth. If the matador is sloppy he may suffer and injury, but none that can compare to the bull. Also the matador may not make his big bucks, nor would the coordinators of such events.

If this were a true fight, both opponents would enter the arena on equal terms, both already half dead or fully compressive with all their wits about them. Armed with only that which they were endowed with, that would be fair to do battle, or dance.

Or is the truth of the matter, that we are so weak we must exploit animals, to cause them pain in order to prove we are superior? What is even more saddening, why do we watch, romanticize and condone such actions?

Nor can one deny that this blood sport which brings in so much money that the opposition to its demise is going to be easy, no; it's going to be a long hard battle. Money talks, plus if the truth be known, we are not as civilized as want the world to think. If we were we would not have bullfights, rooster fights, bear bating or the many other cruel blood sports that haunt us as traditional and cultural.

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