Bullfighting

Rita Mª Martínez Sánchez

Bull fighting- Art or cruelty?

Nowadays, bull fighting is one of the most acclaimed attractions for tourists who visit Spain, but it is also avery controversial issue about which it is argued in Spain and abroad. As in everything, there are people who favour it and people who are against it. In this journal I aim to summarize the mainopinions of both parts and to give my own.

To begin with, I am going to talk about the opinions in favour or bull fighting. Most of the people claim that this practice is a sport. The OxfordDictionary defines sport as an ‘activity that you do for pleasure and that needs physical effort or skill, usually done in a special area and according to fixed rules’. According to this definition, theyare right to affirm that bullfighting is a sport. Another common opinion is that bullfighting is a tradition and so it should be kept. It is clear that traditions should remain and much more those whoattract tourism, which is one of the main sources of income in Spain. It is also said that bullfighting is art, seeing the matador as an artist who seduces to bull to make it succumb to his charms.Lastly, it is said that fighting bulls would disappear if bullfighting were banned.

Now I would like to analyze the above mentioned arguments as people against bullfighting do. For thesepeople, sport should be egalitarian and they claim that bullfighting is not since the bull always dies and in very rare occasion does the matador. Referring to bullfighting as a tradition, it is said thatthe feminine ablution or slavery are traditions in some other parts of the world and we look at them with horror. Next, art is supposed to create life and not to destroy it as bullfighting does.Lastly, bulls are fighting bulls because they are manipulated by the people in order to use them in this practice, since bulls are normally calm animals who only fight for reproduction and in dangerous...