Bullfighting. Yes or no? (***WARNING: graphic photos of accident today***)

[Flaxbee]

Hmm. I say "no". Mostly because torturing animals for entertainment is hideous, base and disgusting, I really don't give a crap about cultural mores in this or any other similar situation.

But this poor man probably isn't too fond of the sport anymore, either. Yes, that is the bull's horn coming out through his mouth.


Edit: If inappropriate, mods, please delete.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/22/julio-aparicio-gored-in-t_n_585941.html

[RadicalTexan]

1. Barbaric.

I agree with you.

This should be banned.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. Holy shit...

Yeah. Ban it.

[flvegan]

3. How could anyone be against torturing an animal to death for entertainment?

I mean really.

:eyes:

[Drunken Irishman]

4. As they say, you fuck with the bull and you get the horns...

}(

[RandomThoughts]

5. What does the bull symbolize, and who is the matador?

Bull,
that in some context is lie.
In some context it has some link to wall street.

So that picture seems to be saying that a person would speak for the bull if they try and fight the bull.


But the analogy breaks down when the bull is put in the arena and killed at the end. And breaks down because the matador is doing for not the best reasons, but for pride or ego maybe.

So is it the idea of both being bad, and bad destroying bad or self destruction.

Hard to know what that picture is saying.


I will stick with the thoughts in this video.

Good Morning,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0j3-tmQLjg

Notice there is no bull in the music clip.

[Brickbat]

6. Wow, what a photo.

[tango-tee]

7. Try as I might -

and I admit I'm not trying very hard - I can't feel sorry for the matador or whatever he's called. He went into the arena ready to torture and kill an animal for the fun of it. This time, the bull had the upper hand. Or horn.

And I don't give a rat's ass if bullfighting is a "cultural" thing that's been practiced for I don't know how many years. It is hideous and barbaric.

[alphafemale]

8. I imagine the bull still died though

Sadly...It's a dangerous animal now...right?

It must be put down.

It would be nice to imagine that this little guy, the 0ne in a Thousand baby bulls that manage to dispatch one of these silly frilly matadors in such a fashion somehow...Win. And get to live out their lives in a happy field somewhere, smelling flowers with his pick of sweet-faced cows. Yeah...imagine all you want.

He didn't win.

He was probably clubbed to death in back of the stadium.

[Capn Sunshine]

15. IIRC

If the matador gets hurt, they bring in a backup squad of matadors who finish off the bull.

[Orrex]

9. You're all a bunch of ethnocentric elitists

Bullfighting is perfectly fine, as long as the matador has half a dozen banderillas jammed between his shoulderblades and has part of his skull filed down before the fight. Oh, and he has to be killed by a sword-thrust at the end of the fight.


What? They don't do that? Oh. Then it's a disgusting and barbaric activity that no culture should tolerate, let alone embrace.




And I don't give a shit what Hemingway has to say in favor of it.

[av8rdave]

10. I've been out of the news loop for a couple of days. Did the matador survive?

Either way, the sport is sadistic and barbaric. I fail to see what purpose it serves. Furthermore, I would guess that statistically, el toro loses the vast majority of the time. Hardly a competitive "sport."

For some inexplicable reason, a distant relative took me to a slaughterhouse when I was 5. For those who are into gore, blood and the slaughter of defenseless animals, go to the slaughterhouse. No waiting in line, probably no tickets to buy, and no crowds to contend with.

[S_E_Fudd]

12. Yes he survived after several surgeries I believe...nt

[struggle4progress]

11. Lots of matadors hurt this week:

Famous Spanish matador Julio Aparicio was gored in the throat ... http://www.examiner.com/x-40065-Blogosphere-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m5d22-Spainish-matador-Aparicio-is-in-critical-condition--photo-gallery-warning-graphic

Israel Lancho a 30-year-old matador was pierced on the chest by a Bull during a Bull fight show on San Isidro’s fair in Las Ventas bullring. Luckily .. the Bulls horn missed his heart ... http://www.hovied.com/site-news/matador-almost-killed-by-bull-2205993.html

Navegante the Mexican bull caught Spaniard Jose Tomas in the groin with his horn, shook him, and tossed him several feet into the air. He ripped through Tomas’s leg, necessitating reconstructive surgery to its femoral artery and vein ... http://www.examiner.com/x-23339-Animal-Policy-Examiner~y2010m4d26-Rough-weekend-for-matadors--two-bullfighters-severely-gored

It's a cruel and stupid "sport"

[S_E_Fudd]

13. Rodeo should be banned as well...

While not resulting in the death of the animal (normally), in order to get them to buck as they do they have to be tortured. A rope is tied tight around the testicles to induce the bucking...

[Kali]

25. rodeo stock is bred to buck

and they actually have a pretty cushy life aside from a few seconds in the arena once a week or so

the flank strap is NOT tied around the testicles - where the hell did you learn that? shit, most of the best bucking horses are mares!
the purpose is to get hem to kick up more - most bucking stock will buck no matter if that is there or not and if it is too tight they won't move at all

rodeo may be an anachronistic activity, performed mostly by people who never worked stock in a range setting in their lives, but it isn't cruel to the animals

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Good for the bull. Just like when the animals eat the fucker that climsb in their cages at the zoo.

Or the elephants that trample their "owners" when they escape in the circus.

We have no right to fuck with animals in such a way.

It's bad enough that we eat them; we don't have to torture and abuse them beforehand, too.

[Old Troop]

16. Bullfighting is OK only if it's fists against horns

[Unvanguard]

17. NO. n/t

[MiddleFingerMom]

18. Bullfighting is barbaric. Period. End of sentence. No joke. NO fucking excuse for it whatsoever.

.
.
.
.
However, when it comes to "silly, frilly bullfighters", I DO like
what Hemingway had to say about them (and before you jump in to
disagree and condemn it -- for goodness sake, lighten up, Francis):
.
"The only reason there are any women for the rest of us is that
there aren't enough bullfighters to go around."
.

[guitar man]

19. I wouldn't call that an accident

I'd just say the bull won that round :evilgrin:

and hell yes, it's time to put an end to this barbaric "sport", it's the 21st century, time to act like it

[Seneca]

20. Whatever one thinks of bullfighting, pro or con

It is not a sport, it is an art. I won't argue with any other adjective one wants to apply, but no matter what else, it is not, in any sense of the word, a sport.

[petronius]

26. There is a great deal of art and beauty associated with bullfighting,

from the costumes, to Dali, to Hemingway, and so on. Of course, the same thing could be said about war.

You're right that it's more of a (performance) art than a sport, but it's an art we could do without...

[Seneca]

38. I have no dispute there

I think everyone in this thread is in agreement regarding the cruelty and inhumanity of bullfighting. But I did have to jump in on the semantics. Soccer (football) is a sport, and I would spend all day defending THAT choice in here. :-)

[Kali]

27. agree

the simplistic attitude that one is a winner or loser shows lack of understanding of what the perfomance actually consists of

I don't care for it, but I can appreciate the skill involved - it isn't so one-sided as people here believe. Fighting bulls are NOT cartoon pets, just like angry deer are not cute little Bambi's. Bulls are extremely strong, fast, and dangerous - even when they haven't been bred for hundreds of generations to fight.

[proteus_lives]

21. Everyone is getting out their inner matador.

It's always amusing to hear everyone cry for the animal but then grave-dance around the human.

The Spanish crowd wants the bull's blood.

The DU crowd wants the blood of the bullfighter.

[Withywindle]

24. I have no inner matador.

Fuck matadors. I have no respect for people who become famous by torturing animals to death in front of a bloodthirsty stadium crowd.

You know who I do respect? There's a theory that bullfighting originated from the bull-dancers of Crete. There are still mosaic murals that show young, UNARMED men and women doing complicated leaps and twists over the horns of rampant bulls.

No blood. No arms. No assumption that the animal will necessarily be killed - or that the young, athletic, half-naked humans will survive - an understanding that those entering the rink are voluntarily risking their lives and if they die, the world won't say, "What a waste! ban it now!" they'll say, "Oh, how sad, a promising young athlete lost," and get on with their lives.

[proteus_lives]

30. Yes, you do.

You want blood and death.

What the confusion?

[Withywindle]

31. I have an inner bull.

I fucking hate any "sport" that involves killing, and I'll cheerfully admit yeah, I definitely do identify with the creature that's just fighting for its life over the human who gets his glory from killing other beings.

I do advocate self-defense for the oppressed. That's what that picture says to me. The matador had a CHOICE to enter the ring; the bull didn't. The matador's choice, in this very rare case, didn't go so well for him. Oh well. If it's a "sport" you ought to be able to acknowledge that sometimes "your" team loses, and it's not a fucking tragedy. No team wins ALL the time.

To give an example, for the slow children in the house: Brazil Vs. Italy in the World Cup, playing a mutually agreed upon game with rules both sides can understand and meet upon a theoretically mutually playing field: A sport. (And I am a Brazil fan). The stakes are equal for both sides.

Hunter with a gun versus unarmed deer in the field: not a sport. The sides are uneven. One side is playing to kill the other, and the other side doesn't even know it's playing at all, and "winning" for THAT side equals just staying alive: NOT a "sport" by any meaningful definition.

Bullfighting? Not a sport either by any recognizable definition. I mean, if you like the Roman gladiator shit, a human with nothing but a sword up against a grizzly bear might be a "sport" by that definition, but, again, killing as entertainment doesn't do it for me.

[proteus_lives]

37. You have inner blood-lust.

I'm not saying it's a sport. I don't care for the activity.

But you want the side you don't support to suffer and die. It's no biggie, you're just the other side of the coin of the Spaniard sitting in the stands cheering.

[Paladin]

39. Drop The Superiority Complex. You're Not Entitled To It.... (N/t)

[LanternWaste]

48. I would imagine the one is a thought-out position...

I would imagine the prior is a thought-out position-- acted upon and given great weight, while the latter is merely a visceral reaction-- the venting of frustrations with no consequence.

I imagine we interpret what we want how we want.

[Withywindle]

22. GOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!

:woohoo:






Oh, what? Someone has a problem with me celebrating the bull's victory?

Well, that's why bullfighting isn't a fucking "sport." Real sports are events that are competitions between at least theoretical equals, with both sides understanding and agreeing to the rules of the game.

In any event that involves humans killing animals painfully and calling it a "sport"? Sorry, just like in human-vs-human equal-on-equal sports events, I tend to root for the underdog.

Bullfighting is a fixed game where the bull is always supposed to lose--and when on a rare occasion the bull wins, people all of a sudden get up in arms and want to ban it.

I think incidents like this are part of the very, very shaky weak evidence that exists for justifying bullfighting's existence as a "sport" to begin with. If you know who the winner's supposed to be all along, then why even play the game?

And if it's OK for the stakes to be death for one side but not for the other...then, hello, it's NOT A FUCKING SPORT.

[Bucky]

35. LOL!

Yes, they're cruel to the animals. If they leveled the playing field, it'd bother me less. Either quit doping the bulls beforehand or start doping up the matadors before they enter the ring. Then you're talking a fair match.

[Dr. Strange]

41. It wasn't a victory.

They killed the bull. :(

[MrSlayer]

23. I root for the bulls.

This one was today's winner. They still probably killed him anyway but at least he got a point for the good guys.

[Flaxbee]

36. yes, they did kill the bull

though I have no idea why they felt the need to do so.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

49. I, too, always root for the bulls.

If they are going to go out like that, hopefully they can take a few shitheads with'em.

[Iggo]

28. Accident?

:spray:

Go Bulls!

[LynneSin]

29. What the hell is coming out of his mouth

:scared:

[Bucky]

32. The bull's horn. The matador's been saved. The bull got killed on the spot.

But ya know, it's not a bad way to go... givin' as good as you got.

[A HERETIC I AM]

33. The horn of the bull. n/t

[undeterred]

34. If he survives, maybe he'll take up bowling instead.

[Seneca]

47. Maybe he'll find Jesus

[mitchum]

40. I bet that's gonna leave a scar

[Taverner]

42. JEEZUS FUCK!!!!!!

Ow

Ow

Ow

Don't do that!

[UTUSN]

43. Just NO. I don't care about "art" and "culture" where animals are involved. n/t

[kayakjohnny]

44. Ow. Gore.

Invaded the inner neck.













Get it?

[LeftyFingerPop]

45. I guess things like this happen when you get in a ring to kill an animal. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

46. Bullfighting should be banned.

It's a giant blot on the Spanish culture. It's not a sport, just like taking a rifle with a high powered scope and plugging Bambi is not a sport.

You might as well shoot a cow and eat it.

:grr:

[Nuclear Unicorn]

50. If it's really a sport...

...are you allowed to root for the other side?