¡Ole!

   It’s been 15 days or so since I’ve posted. I’ve just been busy/tired/not in the mood. But I figure it’s time to post something. Last week was a pretty chill week and this past weekend I got to experience a huge part of Spanish culture. I went to a bullfight! (CAUTION: I am about to go into detail. If you don’t want to read it, don’t go on)
    Before going, I had heard awful, atrocious things. Most of them were true. I have to admit, though, that I stayed until the end and was fascinated. Did I enjoy the part where I watched 8 bulls die? Absolutely, positively not! But I had never seen anything like it before in my life. Before going, I had heard a dozen stories and opinions about the bullfight. Some said it was disgusting and some said it was like a dance. I can honestly say that I think it’s both. The hardest part for me (other than the part where the bull bleeds out) was how unfair I thought it was. For some reason I thought it would be this “man vs beast” thing. But no, it was definitely a “half of a dozen men with spears vs tired out beast” thing. I was without a doubt cheering for the bull every time with the exception of one bullfighter. But before I tell you why I was impressed I need to explain some things.
    There are three stages of a bullfight. In the first, a bunch of matadors enter the ring with the bull, spread out and have the bull chase them which is essentially done to tire the bull out. Then 2 men on horseback, called picadores, come in with a type of lance and stab the bull in between the shoulder blades, trying to anger and weaken it. This, to me, makes it a sissy man’s game. It’s not impressive to kill something that’s already about to fall over from blood loss. The second stage has some of the matadors running up to the bull, jumping up over it’s back and throwing barbed sticks into its shoulders. This also causes minor blood loss and helps slow the bull down, because the sticks are weighted. This part wasn’t too hard for me to handle because it was nothing compared to the damage caused by the first stage. I won’t lie, I even thought it was impressive that those men were brave enough to run towards the bull like that. During the last stage, the main matador takes on the bull by himself. First, he taunts the bull with his cape and usually uses a long, thin sword to inflict small cuts as it runs by the matador. Luckily, I was far enough up in the stands that I couldn’t see any of the wounds but the one from the picador. Lastly, the matador trades swords, taking a somewhat shorter but thicker one, and proceeds to thrust it into the bull, tip to hilt. Most of them died within a minute but there were a few that stayed up and walked around for a bit. If you’re assuming that there were massive amounts of blood, you’d be correct. That was the worst part. I had to close my eyes every time one died.
    Okay, now that you have an idea of what happens I can elaborate on why I was impressed with one of the matadors. This particular matador was by far the youngest and the skinniest of the five matadors that killed a bull. He also had 2 fights. But that isn’t what I found impressive, though it did add to my impression. He was the only matador that killed the bull without having it injured first. He declined the picadores. To me, I thought it made the fight a little fairer, and less like cruel and unusual punishment. This man won the best performer of the night and I’m sure that’s why. Also, I have never seen a man move so gracefully in my life. Now I know why Spaniards call it an art form and not a sport, though I’m not sure I would call it either. I still have very mixed emotions about the whole thing.
    This probably sounds like a traumatic experience to some of you. Maybe most of you. But there were a few good things that happened. First, the second bull of the night was pardoned because its foot was injured prior to entering the ring and the crowd called for it to be released because it wasn’t a fair fight (at least Spaniards draw the line somewhere). This is great because, according to one of our CEA directors, bulls that are pardoned get to “live like kings” for the rest of their lives. I’m just not sure it applies in this situation because, typically, when a bull is pardoned it is because it was so impressive that the judges reward it by sparing its life. I hope that was what happened.
    When I describe the second good thing, know that I use the term "good" loosely. There was a matador who was extremely cocky. Not in a “I’m a performer” way but rather in a “I’m a douche” way. I didn’t like this man. Lucky for me, I got to see him punished for his attitude. Harsh, I know. Unlucky for him, he got stuck with the meanest bull. This thing was ferocious. It was faster, stronger, and smarter than all of the 6 bulls we had watched before it. It tipped over a horse! I was not happy about that. But the horses wear protective padding and special gear so, luckily, it wasn’t injured. During the final stage, the matador turned his back to the bull to face the crowd and do something cocky (I don’t remember what exactly). Normally, when a matador turns his back, the bull is tired and won’t charge because the man isn’t shaking the cape. This bull did not care. It ran at the man, lifted him up on his head, threw him to the ground, and proceeded to try to gore him with his horns. At this point, all of the matadors are rushing the ring trying to save the guy, who turned out to be fine. Luckily, the bull’s horns were pointed in a position that kept them from actually injuring the matador. After being rescued, the guy starts shoving the other matadors off, picks up the sword and kills the bull. I was mad for multiple reasons. I thought that the guy should have been made to go to the hospital, and not allowed to finish the job. I was also mad because out of all the bulls I felt that this one was by far the best and deserved to be pardoned. I know what you’re probably thinking, “I can’t believe she was rooting for the bull!” But that man got cocky and got bested because of it. On top of that he was acting offended that the bull dare touch him (After all, the guy was just cutting him over and over). I'm just glad the bull got to get a hit in. I still don't think he should have been allowed to kill it.
   I can say that I’m glad that I went to watch the bullfight. It was a cultural experience that is a rare opportunity. It’s becoming a very controversial thing here so it may not be around much longer. I’m also happy to say that I can form my own opinion about bullfights and don’t have to base my opinion on what others tell me. However, I have no intention of going to another one. The first one was educational, a second would make me feel a little sociopathic.
   I hope I didn’t disgust you too much. If I did, I apologize. And I can guarantee you that none of my other posts will be this graphic. If I ever tell you a story about bulls again, it’ll most likely be about a good ol’ Oklahoma rodeo where the bull lives... Thankfully!

Kait