Who: Bull Fights grew out of the ancient traditions (Phoenician and Roman) of both animal sacrifice and Man vs. Beast sporting events (think Gladiator). A few hundred years ago Spaniards began to bring a massive, razor-sharp horned, angry bull into Plazas to fight brave souls on holidays for entertainment (no bull ring or protection for the spectators), then later in the 1700's the Sport (or "Art," depending whom you ask) developed into basically the form we know today. One main "matador" with an entourage of lesser "picadores" and "banderilleros" (still dressed in traditional Andalucian costumes from the 1700's - sparkly, elegant, always pink knee socks) against one 1,000 pound bull.
What: The fight consists of three stages, announced by a bugle and accompanied by a live brass band of very traditional Spanish music. In the first stage there are several "toreros" (bull fighters) who take turns making the bull run at them by waving a cloth at it, and then running to duck behind a protective wall. This is to get to know the characteristics of the bull so they will know how best to interact with it. In the second stage, riders on horseback come out and after a series of passes, plunge a spear into the bull's shoulder muscle, which makes its head drop and significantly weakens it. (The horses are now protected by kevlar. Until 1930 the horses would almost always be killed by the bull's horns during this stage). Then other toreros come out on foot and plunge smaller, hooked spears into its shoulder muscles. In the third stage the main matador comes out with a sword to perform a series of passes with the cape and then finish off the bull.
When and Where: About 20 fights per year in Seville alone, and there are bull fights all over Spain. Bull Fights still happen in Portugal, but the bulls are not killed (like catch and release).
Why: This is the big question! When I read about it in the States I was on the fence about attending one. One one hand I thought it sounded barbaric; on the other, I wanted to get inside the mentality of Spanish culture and be open-minded enough to see whatever they have been seeing in it for ages. After talking with our American friends who had just attended one the week before (and found it fascinating enough to want to go to another one), we decided to go with them.
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| I prepared the kids with lots and lots of information so they would know exactly what to expect, and I was shocked that they all wanted to go. All four of them (and the Martens' kids) were transfixed the entire time, and no one seemed bothered in the least. That was really surprising and fascinating to me. Children can grow up thinking just about anything is normal (for better or worse). I was also surprised to see so many Spaniards in the audience - I had heard that it had become a tourist event, but it was a mostly Spanish crowd that had clearly grown up attending these their whole lives. |
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| The beginning stage where the toreros attract the bull with their flags, then jump behind those white circles in the red walls for safety. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but the bull ring is actually a very small, intimate venue. |
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| This is the last stage - the bull has been speared in the shoulder and has those small barbed spears sticking out of it. The matador is about to kill it with a long sword. He has to make the bull charge in order to get the sword thrust deep enough - and as it charges he has to place it in exactly the right place (and keep himself safe). |
Erik's Reaction:
I've been asked to share my thoughts on the bullfight we saw today.
I went to the bullfight with an open mind. Sure, I had questions: Is it cruel? Is it art? Is it tradition and therefore valid? Does it ennoble the hunt of life-sustaining meat for consumption? I didn't know how I would feel. Well, now I know.
(Side note: Whoever designed the stadium must have had a race-horse jockey friend he asked for advice about seat spacing. "Hey Shorty - sit here and tell me if you have enough leg room." (Sits down.) "Yeah, plenty of room!" I've had better leg-room on quarter-operated three-foot-tall merry-go-rounds inside malls. It was painfully uncomfortable.)
Boring
I hate to burst the mystery, but here's what happens: a bunch of flamboyant guys put up a cape, the bull charges, the guy moves the cape. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Then a guy on a horse shoves a spear in his back. Then some prancing guys stick cheerleading batons in its neck. Then one last guy comes out, puts up a cape, the bull charges, the guy moves the cape. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. He puts a sword in its neck. Then more cape charging. Then they drag away the dead animal. Then they bring out another bull. Repeat. Then another bull. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeatzzzzzzzzz. By the end I would have even preferred watching NASCAR.
Ridiculous
Pink knee-high socks. Tight outfits with gold embroidery. Hats that look like Olive Oyl's hair (the girl from Popeye). Silly stances and body contortions. It was all arbitrary and, outside of the historical value, meaningless. And I personally don't put much value on non-value-driven tradition or history (which is very little in my book). It was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen in person (a list which includes several elementary school plays).
Cruel
It was straight-up mean. Tease the bull. Fool the bull. Exhaust the bull. Hurt the bull. Tease it more. Fool it more. Exhaust it more. Hurt it more. Tease. Fool. Exhaust. Hurt. Tease. Fool. Exhaust. Hurt. Then stab a huge sword down it's neck. Then tease it and fool it and exhaust it for another 30 seconds until it collapses in a quivering heap.
So that's pretty much it: boring, ridiculous, and cruel. Oh, but it's historical? Oh, it's a grand tradition? Oh, they eat the meat? Oh, the ticket proceeds go to orphans? Oh, there is actually some skill in there that my untrained eye can't see? Oh, I guess it's not so bad after all. Then I have a really good idea. Let's invent and institute a new event which will be revered and protected in 400 years. How about... You get a bunch of really really strong bodybuilders, in a cage, all wearing nothing but oversized baby diapers, and they are each wielding long sock puppets decorated by local elementary school children, but the sock puppets have rocks in the ends of them, and now inside the cage we'll release a bunch of chickens, and they goal of the diaper-wearing bodybuilders is to hit the chickens hard enough to knock them across the cage as far as they can over and over again, without killing them. Don't worry - we'll eat the chickens. And we'll give all the ticket sales to fight cancer. And man, did you see how ornate those sock puppets were? And check out how carefully that guy wrapped his diaper. And wow did that chicken take a beating and keep on going. Olé!!
That scenario is no less ridiculous, boring, and cruel than what I saw today at bullfighting.
(Note to anyone who enjoys it: This is just my opinion and I allow everyone to have their own. I fully accept that many people find it to be uplifting, artistic, enjoyable, traditional, and valuable.)
Amy's Reaction:
I felt mixed the entire time. Here are my thoughts:
Nicole found the atmosphere to be extremely respectful. I agreed. Whereas American sporting events feel highly commercialized and American entertainment is highly violent (movies, video games, even cartoons), I found this environment - where an actual, real death occurs - to be less violent. I appreciated the quietness of the crowd and the absence of vendors and pop music, and I could definitely feel the crowd's respect for the skill of the matador and the animal. I also thought that as a Spaniard I would find meaning in the continuation of a tradition of my ancestors, including the costumes and the music.
I had never seen an animal be killed before, and as a meat-eater I have thought for a long time that it would be healthy for me to see where my food comes from - to appreciate the animal that died to make my hamburger. I thought that the death of these bulls was much more dignified and respectful than the slaughterhouses where most meat comes from. They live on ranches and are well taken care of before having their big moment in the ring. With that said, it's not like we're asking through the drive-through window "did this hamburger come from a bull who had a chance to die bravely?" And even if we could, though it had a happy life, the bull-fighting death was torturous and slow and felt extremely inhumane to me.
Erik and I have commented before that modern life has robbed males of some of their biological strength. While females continue to birth and nurse and care for children in basically the same way as our ancient ancestors did, males' instincts to hunt and protect lack a natural outlet in modern society, where males are largely confined to desks and computers and meetings. I was sitting next to a bull fighter in training during the fights, and he said that the magic of the Sport for him is in the psychology of dominating the majestic, powerful animal. That chance to feel something so primal and so male made him feel alive. He told me about seeing his training partner getting thrown and gashed by a bull during training, and their coach yelling to him "Tell yourself you're not afraid!! YOU are in charge. Tell yourself that he can't hurt you. YOU dominate him!!" And he said it incredible to watch his friend rise up all bloody but with different posture and a power that made the animal suddenly cower. I can see the draw in this. And it was fascinating to watch that element of the fight - there was one torero in particular who seemed to have the bull hypnotized - he carried himself like a puffed-up, chest-beating Alpha male, and he had that bull (and all the females in the audience) wrapped around his finger. With that said, Erik made the point today that if you want to feel like an Alpha male by pitting yourself against a physical threat, go into Mixed Martial Arts. It's not a real "fight" if one contender has a horse, spears, a sword, and wall to hide behind.
So in the end, I thought it was a fascinating experience, and I can definitely see why people (especially Spaniards) feel passionately about it. It does elicit strong feelings - it's crazy that this topic has been my longest blog post! Perhaps because it was something so different from anything we've ever experienced, so we've never processed the ethics of it. My conclusion is that the slow, painful torture of a living creature cancels any of its redeeming values, which are available in other Art forms and Sports. But I'm glad we went!
I had never seen an animal be killed before, and as a meat-eater I have thought for a long time that it would be healthy for me to see where my food comes from - to appreciate the animal that died to make my hamburger. I thought that the death of these bulls was much more dignified and respectful than the slaughterhouses where most meat comes from. They live on ranches and are well taken care of before having their big moment in the ring. With that said, it's not like we're asking through the drive-through window "did this hamburger come from a bull who had a chance to die bravely?" And even if we could, though it had a happy life, the bull-fighting death was torturous and slow and felt extremely inhumane to me.
Erik and I have commented before that modern life has robbed males of some of their biological strength. While females continue to birth and nurse and care for children in basically the same way as our ancient ancestors did, males' instincts to hunt and protect lack a natural outlet in modern society, where males are largely confined to desks and computers and meetings. I was sitting next to a bull fighter in training during the fights, and he said that the magic of the Sport for him is in the psychology of dominating the majestic, powerful animal. That chance to feel something so primal and so male made him feel alive. He told me about seeing his training partner getting thrown and gashed by a bull during training, and their coach yelling to him "Tell yourself you're not afraid!! YOU are in charge. Tell yourself that he can't hurt you. YOU dominate him!!" And he said it incredible to watch his friend rise up all bloody but with different posture and a power that made the animal suddenly cower. I can see the draw in this. And it was fascinating to watch that element of the fight - there was one torero in particular who seemed to have the bull hypnotized - he carried himself like a puffed-up, chest-beating Alpha male, and he had that bull (and all the females in the audience) wrapped around his finger. With that said, Erik made the point today that if you want to feel like an Alpha male by pitting yourself against a physical threat, go into Mixed Martial Arts. It's not a real "fight" if one contender has a horse, spears, a sword, and wall to hide behind.
So in the end, I thought it was a fascinating experience, and I can definitely see why people (especially Spaniards) feel passionately about it. It does elicit strong feelings - it's crazy that this topic has been my longest blog post! Perhaps because it was something so different from anything we've ever experienced, so we've never processed the ethics of it. My conclusion is that the slow, painful torture of a living creature cancels any of its redeeming values, which are available in other Art forms and Sports. But I'm glad we went!
I heard that there were to be a law that there was no more bullfighting in Barcelona. Don't know if it is so now or not. It does seem like a gathering place of sorts without the commercial hype, unlike the the injuries to the fans that occurred at an MTV event in Madrid except for the poor bull! Fascinating perspectives. I adds so much to everything and I love that you are experiencing all this and that I get to read about it!
ReplyDeleteYou can guess whether I love or hate bull fights. :) Erik's suggestion for a comparable sport/art was so hilarious. And by hilarious, I mean awesome. And I think we should all try to make that the next big thing in the sports world. I'll sew the sock puppets.
ReplyDeleteThe kids' reactions were very interesting. No one was crying or throwing up about it? I'm pretty sure I would have done both as a child (or even now).
Thanks for posting. Your comments about men being removed from their evolutionary/ancient gender roles sparked a great conversation between Jason and me. :) Love you!