Animal Abuse: Bullfights

-Torture is not Culture-

Each year, approximately 10,000 bulls die in bullfights, an inaccurate term for events in which there is very little competition between a nimble, sword-wielding “matador” and a confused, maimed, psychologically tormented, and physically debilitated animal.

Bullfighting is a traditional sport that can be found in Western Europe and some limited locations in Central and South America. It’s a spectacle that is based on tradition. Bulls are baited in to charge the bullfighter and then repeated hit with spears, knifes, and other sharp objects until the animal has been killed. It has been banned in many areas while others have modified the sport so that the animal is not killed, but they suffer anyway, because they are tortured for people entertainment.

There are different opinions about this kind of entertainment because some people think that it’s not bad because they say that bullfighting is an important tradition of Spanish culture, so there is no problem with bullfights because they remember the amazing Spanish culture and these people defend themselves by saying that no one has a problem with having roast chicken or roast turkey meals, so why having a problem with killing a bull in front of everybody, when is just for entertainment like soccer games or musical performances. They also said that this is a true kind of art, because bullfighters must show grace and elegance in the bullring and success is not simply measured by the death of the bull. Many argue that the bull would be slaughtered for food and at least this way the bull dies on 'Centre Stage' in a dignified manner.

On the other hand, a lot of people that are against these traditions because they defend animal rights, so they don’t think it’s fair for bulls to be treated like that. The major counter-argument on the detractors' side is a simple basic argument. It is the perception of the cruelty to the bull. The goading, teasing and eventual death of the bull is inhumane and humiliating for this, or any living creature. The great pomp and ceremony surrounding the tradition is simply a cover-up for what is finally going to be the murder of the animal for pure ‘fun’ or ‘entertainment’ of the crowd. Just because it is an old tradition doesn’t mean it is a rational thinking of this century. There are examples of many other barbaric traditions that we as mankind supported in the past but have now abolished, so why should bullfighting not be one of them?

In my opinion, I think that bullfights are wrong because it’s not fair for bulls suffer just to satisfy the crowd, and they were not created to be the entertainment of people by torture, they are also humans beings; they feel, they think, they breath and eat like us. I don’t understand why they don´t have the same natural rights if they are just like us.

I know it is a tradition of the Spanish culture, but I think that not all the traditions are correct, for example; in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz there’s a tradition with bulls; on February 1st they set free 6 bulls and people have to run of them, but there are many brave people that start teasing the bulls to demonstrate that they aren’t afraid of them. And that is not fair for bulls because they get confused between so many people so they start acting in self-defense and they can hurt somebody.

Take place of the bull, would you like to be annoyed, hurt and confused by someone cruelly just to entertain others? Bullfights are not art, they are just another way of animal abuse.

...