Bullfighting: Tradition or Tragedy? - Hanya Awan

Many individuals seem to see that bullfighting is a fun, amusing and entertaining sport. However, what they do not see are the hidden, violent and horrific acts that are created by mankind. Bullfighting is a sport and shows that can be seen in a stadium or an arena dedicated to sports and competitions. These bullfighting shows are watched by the public in the stadium and many people see it as a source of entertainment, similarly to baseball matches and race car competitions. Sometimes they are recorded, and many videos and images are highly graphic that should not be so openly shared with but should have people gain knowledge of how it is slowly influencing many who have watched the matches. The men who are fighting the bulls are equipped with many sharp materials such as daggers, spears and swords. The start of the bullfight is initiated when the men who are fighting the bulls are tiring the bull when they are chasing the bull all corners of the area. Once the bull is fatigued and exhausted, a man is blindfolded on a horse and is stabbing the bull in the back, causing it to experience a lot of blood loss. The objective of the game is to kill the bull and in the end, the bull is not even dragged or

buried properly but instead discarded in trash and the body is disposed of. According to the World Animal Protection, more than 250,000 bulls are killed in bullfights in festivals every year.

The tradition has originated from Spain and includes many wanting to ensure there is any blood loss from the bull. Many people from Spain and cubs argue that the form of bullfighting which includes blood is not a form of abuse, but rather an expression of art. However, many individuals who are from Spain and internationally have been voting to ban it since 2010. Since many animal groups and organizations have been coming together to vote to ban bullfighting as a whole and on July 28, 2010, the Catalonia parliament voted to ban bullfighting as an act of abuse and mistreatment. This ban finally had an impact on January 1, 2012. As well as bullfighting being morally wrong, it is also disturbing because the matadors during the match often chop off the bull's horns, tail, or ears as a “trophy,” for recognition. Although many do this after the bull is dead, others do this while the bull is still conscious, leaving the bull with a disfigured face. It then experiences a lot of pain and suffering as well as blood loss all at the same time in front of the crowd. While parts of different cultures contain various expressions of art, it does not justify the cruelty and suffering of living creatures to produce a casualty. Art does not limit one's ability to think creatively, but it does not necessarily comply with torture and abuse. According to The Prindle Post’s article on Bullfighting: Good or Unnecessary Cruelty?, there is a phrase to support the ban which is “If in order to preserve a breed or subspecies, we must torture members of that breed or subspecies, then there is no moral justification for this.” Therefore, many article writers, researchers, animal protection organizations support the bans and changes that are being made to make a difference in protecting bull’s rights and freedom. Art and culture do not revolve

around torture and the loss of innocent deaths of animals. Bullfighting clearly represents the influence of culture and art to cause suffering to animals in various painful methods of torture. However, there are many other examples in today's society that have not been adequately addressed. The bulls that remain alive after the bullfight and "win" the match against the Matadors, sometimes with bloody bodies and weakened legs, are left on the streets and on the sidewalks in broad daylight. Many reports state that even when the bulls are left alive, they end up being tortured by runners on the street or are killed by the public who want more space on the sidewalk. Thus, this is not a form of art but rather an excuse for unnecessary cruelty according to many organizations, individuals, researchers, and animal protection services.

Works Cited

“Bullfighting | PETA.” PETA, 24 June 2010,

www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/cruel-sports/bullfighting/.

“Bullfighting: Art or Not?” Ethics Unwrapped,

ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/bullfighting-art-not#:~:text=Bullfighting%20has

%20its%20roots%20in%20rituals%20dating%20back%20many%20centuries.&text=So

me%20people%20consider%20bullfighting%20a. Accessed 2 Jan. 2022.

“Bullfighting: Torture Is Not Culture | Issues.” PETA Australia,

www.peta.org.au/issues/entertainment/bullfighting-torture-not-culture/.

Gabriel Andrade. “Bullfighting: Moral Good or Unnecessary Cruelty?” The Prindle Post, 13

Feb. 2018, www.prindlepost.org/2018/02/bullfighting-moral-good-unnecessary-cruelty/.

Parlia. “Should Bullfighting Be Banned? - Parlia.” Www.parlia.com,

www.parlia.com/c/should-bull-fighting-be-banned#:~:text=Bullfighting%20is%20a%20v

icious%20and. Accessed 2 Jan. 2022.