¿Toros para... todos?

By: Zoey Krulick

October 15, 2013

“Seriously, Zoey?” I’m thinking to myself even as I write this. “You’re really going to write about the most stereotypical part of Spanish culture?” I really did want to shy away from bullfighting as a topic, because it is something one could theoretically learn about without having to actually visit Spain. However, it is the tradition that has so far confused me the most about this country. Though I’m growing to love it, it really made me think about cultural practices as a whole.

Everyone has heard of bullfighting (corrida de toros in Spanish), but as I learned, many people who think they know how it actually functions really have no idea. People in funny outfits running around waving a cloth in front of a bull, angering the bull to the point that it eventually charges and then it dies, right? Not at all! The process is, in reality, much more complicated. In each bullfight, a total of six toros (bulls) are killed by three toreros or matadors (bullfighters), each “fight” lasting approximately twenty minutes. First, a team of men come into the stadium and begin to test the bull, looking for defects. If they determine the bull is hurt or imperfect, they will switch it out for another. Next, a horseback rider lightly stabs the bull to see how it reacts towards aggression. After that, a team of banderilleros stab the bull with sharp sticks to further weaken it and start the flow of blood. Finally, the matador enters the plaza alone, leading the toro through a series of different moves to show his domination over the animal, finally killing it. If a matador has been particularly successful and impressive, he receives one of the bull’s ears. A great show will earn the matador two ears, and finally, the biggest honor is to receive two ears and the tail of the bull. The actual translation into English seems pretty awful; the “fight” is hardly a fight at all—the bull really has no chance.

I had absolutely no interest in seeing a corrida. However, I realized that if I want to understand Spanish culture, I would have to try to understand it.

I managed to make it through two toros. The actual blood wasn’t too much for me—I think I can safely say that TV has made it very easy for my generation to desensitize ourselves to violence. But as I sat there and realized that I was watching an intelligent being die for absolutely no reason (other than tradition), I just couldn’t let myself continue to participate. It seems absolutely ridiculous that people could sit there and enjoy watching an animal being killed for sport.

But, as I mulled it over, a disturbing thought surfaced. Was I being culturally insensitive for being morally opposed to the corrida and thinking it was cruel? Should I try to understand the corrida through the Spanish point of view? The Spaniards consider the death of the toro in the plaza as something positive and dignified. They respect the toro enough to never stab it in the back, always attacking it in the front. Before the corridas, the five years of a toro in the countryside can be compared to the life of an elite athlete—they are extremely well cared for up until the moment they enter the plaza. And without a doubt, bullfighting is a huge part of Spanish culture. My host mother adores it. She listens to bullfights on the radio at night. Every Sunday, we religiously watch Toros para todos (“Bulls for everyone”—not quite as catchy in English), an entire TV show dedicated to showing the lives of bulls before they enter the stadium and showing summaries of the corridas that happened throughout the week. Bullfighting is undoubtedly an integral part of Spanish culture.

On the other hand, there are parts of American culture I don’t like, either. For example, I think hunting for sport is completely pointless and cruel, and has a lot less ritual and tradition surrounding it than the corrida. However, hunting is part of my own culture—does that mean I am allowed to more forcefully criticize it? Where do we draw the line between speaking out for what we believe in and offending a people by criticizing their traditions and way of life? I don’t think it is culturally insensitive of me to hate the corrida, but at the same time, I will not share my hatred with every Spaniard I meet. Being in another culture has definitely opened my eyes to a different way of life, but do we have to agree with everything we see in our new culture to avoid judging out of ignorance? Does one have to agree with everything one sees in a new culture, or can one still make a judgement out of respect to a higher sense of morality?

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