Spanish Bullfighting: FOR or AGAINST?

We, naively, automatically presume in life maturity evolves unaided and those decisions we make are based purely on our assumptions of right and wrong. We try to dissect all analytical methods and reasoning’s representing our beliefs wittingly and, believe whichever election we make or, agree on, we do not feel obliged to justify ourselves. However, what happens if you can see both sides to an argument. How do you go about expressing yourself? This was the dilemma I found myself being an active part of such engagement.  

Bullfighting, is classed as controversial, to knowingly penetrate an unsuspecting bull in the hope of achieving a celebrity status. Those who disagree on bullfighting, reduce any positives allowing themselves only to feed on the negatives, because it is natural to say "No" to a premeditated death. As a human being we react differently to our neighbours. However, most common feelings develop from culture. We like to establish ourselves as individually unique but at some point we are going to represent the same feelings, compassion, love, hate and so forth. Once we are aware that others enjoy the same we become friendly and encourage one another in the same direction, a celebration if you like!

Where bullfighting is concerned you are either FOR or AGAINST and both parties will argue their case.

I approached this controversial subject with an optimistic mind. It would be unfair to ridicule something with limited knowledge. I studied the likes of:

Ernest Hemingway, Death in the afternoon; The sun also rises

Juan Belmonte

Jose Gomez (Joselito)

Alexander Fiske Harrison, The author of “Into the arena” a British Journalist that has a huge passion for bulls. He has taken part in corrida de toros (the running of bulls) and gained the experience of a novillero- A bullfighter restricted by professional rules to engaging bulls less than four years of age.

 

So, firstly, I read about the fighting bulls. Iberian bulls are a selective breed and revered purely for their stamina, aggression and strength. After a year relying on their mother, regardless of the sex, the bulls are then sectioned and branded into single-sex groups. They stay here until the age of two. Once they are two years old, it is time to evaluate their worth, whether it is for breeding, fighting, or slaughtered for their meat. The test involves seeing how a bull reacts to a horse and analyse its aggressiveness and any sort of strategy. A bull cannot see a man in the ring until it is time to fight. Spanish Law states that the bulls have to be over four years old, with functional vision and horns that haven't being tampered with. (Even though it is illegal, they have been times were bulls horns have being shaven, this disturbs co-ordination, behavior, and become less dangerous to the matador, not a fair fight).  

If it is a form of art, emphasising danger and elegance together, then it is only natural to mention Juan Belmonte, a small Andalusian Matador, first. As he entered the ring, up to 50,000 applauded him, not knowing within the next few minutes he would revolutionise bullfighting. Instead of the common sword thrust he began to create beauty, elegance, almost an erotic scene in which colours _bright_ interacted with one another. Belmonte was born with weak and deformed legs, which at the time seemed inappropriate for this sort of performance. Because of his weak legs he found it hard rapidly moving around and instead of dancing around the bull, nervously, he remained still and erect, almost emotionless. The audience called him ugly, and if it wasn't for his new technique, his popularity would be questionable. When in the ring, the bull, reacting to the motivated muleta ran towards it in connection to the planned chapter, not only the audience cheered and became delighted, but also felt a touch of fear, fear for the matador himself as the bull’s horns brushed passed each time narrowly missing him. Belmonte, as a child, was always fascinated with bulls and dared to jump the wall and distract the bulls’ attention; it did not make him afraid but more alive. His father wanted him to work in his shop but due to his shyness Belmonte was not good at haggling and didn’t bring in as much money as his father needed. He knew from a young age he wanted to work with bulls.

From the day Belmonte's technique was heard of, inspiring matadors tried to replicate his moves, be rewarded and to be as famous. This resulted in many unpredictable deaths when the bull got too close, goring unsteady matadors. It was no secret that Juan Belmonte had a rival in Jose Gomez known commonly as Joselito. It was known as the golden era; two great compassionate matadors taking it in turns to deliver a great performance. Although they rivalled, they were close friends and always applauded their end results.

 

Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, the brother-in-law of Joselito, was born into a rich family. His father _a doctor_ wanted Sanchez to follow in his footsteps. Sanchez had other ideas. He became a huge fan of bulls at a young age. Becoming engrossed, Sanchez played truant to join children, including Jose Gomez, at a bullfighting school. As years passed, Sanchez became interested in women and poetry, and made his debut as a banderillero. In 1914 he was gored in his femur. Luckily, being a young age and in good health it wasn’t so severe to destroy his career. Although he was absent some time, he became a matador and a great one at that too. Sanchez was also a passionate poet. Sadly, one Sunday afternoon in 1920, Belmonte and Sanchez witnessed the goring of Joselito. Joselito was rushed to hospital. Sanchez stayed behind to kill the bull. Once the bull was killed, Sanchez raced to the hospital. He arrived too late. Joselito had died. Sanchez stayed behind and watched over the corpse in tears. There is a photograph witnessing Sanchez supporting the head of Joselito, caressing his face with the other hand. The most emotional scene, if ever there was one in bullfighting. Sanchez carried on bullfighting but was gored a numerous of times. He chose to address other opportunities in life such as his poetry and becoming an actor. In 1934 he returned to bullfighting. This would be his last time. He too was gored to death. His grave stone placed to the right of Joselito.

 

The Laid out Body

Stone is a forehead where dreams grief
without curving waters and frozen cypresses.
Stone is a shoulder on which to bear Time
with trees formed of tears and ribbons and planets.

I have seen grey showers move towards the waves
raising their tender riddle arms,
to avoid being caught by lying stone
which loosens their limbs without soaking their blood.

For stone gathers seed and clouds,
skeleton larks and wolves of penumbra:
but yields not sounds nor crystals nor fire,
only bull rings and bull rings and more bull rings without walls.

Now, Ignacio, the well born, lies on the stone.
All is finished. What is happening! Contemplate his face:
death has covered him with pale sulphur
and has placed on him, the head of dark Minotaur.

All is finished. The rain penetrates his mouth.
The air, as if mad, leaves his sunken chest,
and Love, soaked through with tears of snow,
warms itself on the peak of the herd.

What are they saying? A stanching silence settles down.
We are here with a body laid out which fades away,
with a pure shape which had nightingales
and we see it being filled with depthless holes.

Who creases the shroud? What he says is not true!
Nobody sings here, nobody weeps in the corner;
nobody pricks the spurs, nor terrifies the serpent.
Here I want nothing else but the round eyes
to see his body without a chance of rest.

Here I want to see those men of hard voice.
Those that break horses, and dominate rivers
those men of sonorous skeleton who sing
with a mouth full of sun and flint.

Here I want to see them, before the stone.
Before this body with broken reins
I want to know from them the way out
for this captain stripped down by death.

I want them to show me a lament like a river
which will have sweet mists and deep shores,
to take the body of Ignacio where it loses itself
without hearing the double planting of the bulls.

Loses itself in the round bull ring of the moon
which feigns in its youth, a sad quiet bull,
loses itself in the night without song of fishes
and in the white thicket of frozen smoke.

I don't want to cover his face with handkerchiefs
that he may get used to the death he carries.
Go, Ignacio, feel not the hot bellowing
Sleep, fly, and rest: even the sea dies!

-Lament poem, dedicated to Ignacio Sanchez Mejias

 

Belmonte carried on Bullfighting. Once, in his native, Seville, performing before a demanding crowd he got two warnings. Due to distractions with a married woman and poor diet, Belmonte was exhausted and he screamed at the bull to just kill him. Belmonte was removed from the ring, ending in his first retirement. On many occasions, Belmonte retired from the ring for being gored numerous of times and ill-health. In 1961 his health deteriorated quickly and him being unable to adjust, took a gun and shot himself in the head.

If I subtract the bull and just watch the elegant cape passes and the way Belmonte stood, I see art. I fall completely in love with the talent; slow, well thought-out and practiced, a display of dance, performing maturely and passionately. I found myself becoming more and more engaged; something before research I would not have imagined I should admit.

 I have watched numerous of bullfights and each one is different, not comparable. Some I am amazed how well the Matador performs, the way he moves, coordinated and brave; and sometimes I have watched, a silent tear trickling down my face, a sense of remorse and my conscious kicking in!

 Thousands of voices over-lap one another like an eerie sensation. Seating is priced based on sun and shade, shade being more expensive. It begins with a parade known as Paseillo in which the participants of the act enter the arena to salute the presiding dignitary. I watch on, immersed.

 

Preliminary phase

The Matador, in a series of passes, analyses the bull’s ferocity, speed and, if, or how it charges.

Act one:

Tercio de Varas (“Third of lances”)

Next, two picadors enter the arena mounted on padded and blindfolded horses.  When in sight, the bull attacks the horse, giving an inkling to which side the bull prefers. The picadors’ purpose is to lance the bull just behind the morillo, a mound of muscle on the bull’s neck. The bull can be lanced up to 4 times. Thriving on adrenaline, the bull sees the horses as the culprit and expectedly tries to gorge the victim. If the picadors are successful with their lancing, the bull’s head will lower. This is compulsory to the following stages of the bullfight, making the bulls charge less dangerously, enabling the Matador to perform.

Act two:

Tercio de banderillas (“Third of flags”)

The second act is the “Tercio de banderillas.” A banderilla is known as a “flag.” It is a long wooden stick, roughly two feet long with a barb at the end. The stick is decorated in yellow and red paper, signifying Spain. The banderilleros steps in once the Picador leaves. A banderillero will place himself in danger by getting his chest to pass close to or even between the horns. The crowd will be analysing every move as the banderilla punctures the bull’s shoulders. This puts a strain on the enormous ridges of the neck and shoulder muscle through loss of blood. The Banderilleros induce the bull to make ferocious charges. The bull becomes exhausted. Then it is time for the Matador to take over.

Act three:

Tercio de Muerte (“Third of death”)

The Matador, dressed in traje de luces, suit of lights, enters the ring armed with a muleta (the muleta, a red cape, is used to distract the bull. The colour red is for traditional purposes only; the bulls are actually colour-blind and only react to movement. The use of a red cape is to camouflage the blood) and, a sword in the other hand, the Matador, having dedicated the bull to a selected individual, or, the whole audience, stands, attracting the bull’s attention. (This is where I recognised the art that is labeled towards a corrida de toro.) The audience, happy with the Matadors performance, chant the words “Ole.” The Matador artistically performs a series of tanda, a series of passes. The Matador, keeping the bull motivated attempts to get the bull in a steady position in which he can kill the bull with an estocada, the thrusting of the sword between the bull’s shoulder blade and through the heart. This can sometimes go horribly wrong in which the Matador fails. This can cause the audience to protest and change the atmosphere.

Before the estocada, if the audience thinks the Matador has performed extremely well, they will, in response, wave a white handkerchief. If the president accepts, the Matador will be rewarded with the bulls’ ear or two, and in some cases the tail. However, on rare occasions a bull will be pardoned. Due to its performance the audience, waving white handkerchiefs, will petition its release. If the president agrees, the bull will live. It is a great honour to the Matador to have the bull pardoned.

In his book; Death in the afternoon, Ernest Hemingway wrote:

“Bullfighting is the only art that the artist is in danger.”

I think he pretty much summed it up in such a short sentence; something he was known to create well.

In order for the performance to come across as artistically approved, both Matador and bull have to come out and produce an intense degree of emotion. The Matador and the bull have to perform as an act, a story. The Matador, like a dancer, adopts a theoretical accomplishment. His body, like a model, has a perfect posture. His hands, coordinating the muleta, are inspiring to aficionados and such alike. The bull(s) signify passion, energy and freedom. I believe, if you look at it closely, analyse it deeper, it becomes an erotic scene, seduction, tense manoeuvring, a taste of penetration.

On my journey, I read information on those whom agreed and, disagreed. I did not agree or detested their message. I just accepted them. I did not and would not judge their likes or dislikes. My intention was to understand it, learn from it and write from, and about it.

When I watched the first bullfight I looked for any signs of foul play such as reported abuse on the bulls. I did not see any and that isn’t to say there were not. Once the lock was open and the bull came running out, it was how people said in the past and continuing to say: it runs out; seeing the light he thinks it is freedom and in some way it is freedom from his pen that he has being in for up to two nights. All cattle whether bred for food or to fight, like to be in a herd. So this bull runs out into the ring, looking lost and alone-this is only my first perception, which I am entitled to, same as anyone else. When the picadors come into the ring and once the bull sees the horses, he runs towards them. He sees the horse as the predator. Once the bull is within reach the picador lances it. The bull tries to gore the horses; horses are now protected with like a mattress-layer, to stop them from being gored as much. Once the picadors have done what they need to do, Banderilleros step in and, in time, place banderillas into the bull’s neck. The bull, from then on will lower his head. This is vital in order to be less of a threat to the Matador. When the Matador comes onto the scene dressed in traje de luces, usually in gold, this is when I think art becomes part of the scene. The colours and manner of the Matador reminds me of a Flamenco dancer, sturdy, balanced and in the high spirit. When The bull sees the muleta’s move, he runs towards it. I find this interesting to watch, each time waiting in suspense of the Matadors safety. After the Matador has finished with the bull, the ear(s) or tail maybe cut off as a reward to the Matador. This was the part I felt a little uneasy with. You could clearly see the bull was still conscious. Then, it is tied up and dragged along the golden sand. The audience cheering as the bull’s life is departing from him.

I first looked into those who agree on Bullfighting as an art and the reasons behind their opinions:

The majority of those who agree on Bullfighting only agree because of “Spanish Tradition,” rather than giving me a fuller reason, which would have being more preferable to examine.

I came across British Journalist Alexander Fiske-Harrison whom I knew from reading only a few lines how much passion he feels for it. His blogs were very interesting to read and keeps the reader very entertained through-out. Alexander Fiske-Harrison has taken part in the Pamplona Bull run and only recently was almost gored.

“With my back against the wall, its horns either side of my chest – literally – and, unlike in Pamplona or an official plaza de toros, no surgeon within a forty-five minute drive, I saw my own death ahead of me. However, for some reason the bull decided today was not my day and moved on, most likely because I had the presence of mind to freeze, making myself invisible to the clockwork brain behind the horns.”

-Alexander Fiske-Harrison

Before I came across his blog it was, at first, hard to think of myself ever seeing the FOR side of the bullfighting. I was, admittedly, naïve towards it. My knowledge and perception was limited. Alexander Fiske-Harrison changed my way of thinking. He believes a fighting bull is a better, respected animal, than any cattle sent to the slaughter-house. A fighting bull, as mentioned above, lives up to five plus years. Cattle, bred purely for food, live to about two years. Within the two years of life, they are sheltered in a small pen, with limited movement and, poor quality of food. And, although scientifically killed humanely than a fighting bull, their life is not as well lived than a fighting bull. A fighting bull lives on acres of pasture with better quality food and top priority care. The bull, at the end of the scene, will either die in honor or be sparred his life in honor. Matadors and aficionados think a lot about the bulls. Changing bullfighting, to not killing the bull, would be like “Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo doesn’t die.” It wouldn’t be the same. Now, understanding it more in depth I can appreciate it. It does not mean I fully accept it, because I don’t. I appreciate the skill, the performance, the bravery of the Matadors, the way the bull maneuvers in response to a script.

I do not like the way something is accepted on “traditional aspects.” There are many traditions in many different countries. It does not mean they are right. Only recently Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has being looked into in the UK. Now, as an understanding nation we disagree on this “tradition” both male and female. Even if we looked into it, like I have on bullfighting, we would not change our mind and that is guaranteed. It is a “tradition” that ought to be banned, right now. Hence why saying Spanish Bullfighting is a “tradition” and that is why it should not be banned, to me it’s not a good enough excuse.

And, obviously there are those that are AGAINST bullfighting. There are higher percentages as AGAINST than there are FOR it.

There are many who agree Bullfighting should be banned as they call it “Barbaric, revolting, torturous.” I have read paragraph after paragraph about how a bull is treated before, during and, after the bullfight. There are a large number of people, who believe bulls are kept in a box, starved and dehydrated two days before they are due to enter the ring; and, that their eyes have Vaseline rubbed into them, wet newspaper stuffed in their ears, acid on their feet to keep them on their feet; active, steroids to induce strength, irritation-to make them seem more aggressive. My view on this would be the bulls’ need to have 100% vision in order to see the movement of the muleta? Wet newspaper, acid, and, steroids I do not know, admittedly, if this is taking place, I cannot comment on that without facts.

Bullfighting has and will continue to cause a great amount of controversy to those, who label it barbaric and dedicate a vast amount of their time in protesting to the Spanish Embassy.
Back in 1991 Canary Islands were the first region in Spain to ban bullfighting and, after animal right lobbyists displayed their anger and concern for the bulls’ welfare, they gained a staggering 180,000 petitions to eradicate the existence of bullfighting in Catalonia, Barcelona in January 2012. It is no secret that Catalonia has openly admitted their fight for independence and to be separated from Spain in the past and continue to do so. That being said, this was no political move, as many interpreted it. Catalonia was no longer prepared to condone public spectacles, transmitting the message violence can be sometimes tolerated.

As a Writer and, a passionate artist, I crave cultural variations. I linger on a subject matter and feed off the information. I become knowledgeable and it gives me great satisfaction and, like an addiction, I yearn for more. I look at every angle and, whether the subject matter is to my taste or not. For me to write this, I closed off my feelings. I did not want to automatically jump to one side and dismiss any information on the opposite. I have enjoyed reading upon Bullfighting, the Matadors, and seeing as an artist, the scenes.

 

My overall review

 So which, if any, is more humane, more acceptable?

We are all guilty, except vegetarians, ignoring how cattle, bred for food, die. The only thing we contemplate; how it will look on a plate. We turn a blind eye to how the animal, responsible for our meal, suffered before being skinned and cooked.

 

Is bullfighting only bad because we witness the death?

 

I wanted to write this open-minded. I wanted to create some form of open discussion so please, if you have respected my blog, leave your opinion.