Should Bullfights Continue to Be Allowed Today?

There have always been debates about whether rituals with animals should be allowed nowadays and it is a difficult question because there are many different opinions about it and people do not always agree with each other. Bartle Phil argues that The simplest definition of culture is that it is composed of everything symbolic that we learn. It is what we learn from our parents or grandparents. People have always given a big value to culture and traditions and for that reason it is symbolic. It is passed from generation to generation, but it is up to the new generations if they want to follow it or not. Culture is important but not all traditions are completely right, as for example bullfighting. I myself attended just one bullfight in my life, and that was only to get a sense of the bull's suffering . Bullfighting is cruel, against animal welfare, and day by day there are less people in favor of bullfighting which make me think that it should not be allowed nowadays. People should respect culture because it is what we are, but not all traditions are accepted for everybody because of the cruel treatment on animals, as for example bullfighting. During the fight, they exhaust and frustrate them by running in circles and tricking them to collision. Afterwards, they throw lances into the bulls back and neck muscles to weaken them, and finally, the toreros try to kill them with their sword. According to WSPA, the weapons that toreros use are designed to cause intense pain and blood loss to weaken the animal. All these methods are cruel and inhumane. Do they deserve that? Just for entertainment? Traditional practices with animals are not appropriate and maybe people should do something in order to change their minds about these popular activities which could be beginning with education. Gabriela Garza Muoz, who is education and media coordinator, would support that education will achieve an appropriate knowledge, a change in their attitude and they will see things in a different way in order to respect each other and nature. Even if one believes that bullfighting is tradition or culture, this shouldnt justify cruelty to animals: cruelty is cruelty no matter where in the world it happens as Bullfighting Free Europe states Cruelty against animals has no place in a modern society.

Animals have also the right to life and bullfighting is a violation against animal welfare. There are illegal practices on bulls such as hitting and spearing the animals or a technique called afeitado which consists in shaving the bulls horns by sawing off a few a few inches which according to Isabel Gonzales are unethical [and they] also contradicts the principles of respect for all living creatures, a basic expectation in a democratic and modern Europe. However, if society uses them as food, one could consider that there, there is some justification because one needs to feed one selves in order to survive. Nevertheless, there is a big difference between killing for meat and killing for fun. The IMAB (International Movement Against Bullfighting) asserts that The truth is if a creature suffers then there can be no moral justification [] All animals are sentient beings that experience joy, happiness, fear and pain, in the same way that human beings do. Therefore, when people watch on the TV that an animal has been maltreated and killed, they should think the same way as it would happen to a person. People should put themselves in the position of these animals and think how it would be like. Nowadays, day by day there are more people against bullfighting. In the past, most of the people were in favor of it because it was tradition and it was the proud of these countries. But today a lot of people consider it a torture and even though it is a tradition they prefer banning it because they are against cruelty. According to an opinion poll made by the WSPA organization, the majority of Spaniards are against this cruelty which kills 40.000 bulls a year. Even Cristina Narbona, Spain's Environment Minister, confess to the Time World Magazine that it is a shame to live in a country where this is allowed. Therefore, there is no reason in maintaining a tradition that just many people follow.

Culture is important to us and it is important to preserve the memory of our ancestors. People cannot forget who they are and where they come from and they should remember that they have learnt all this because of their ancestors teaching the new generations. There are arts, beliefs, patterns which do not harm the society and nature but there are others which do, such as bullfighting. Bullfighting is a cruel entertainment, it uses illegal practice against bulls and nowadays there are a few who follow such tradition. According to IMAB, Jeremy Bentham once said: "It doesn't matter if they can reason; it doesn't matter if they can speak; what does matter is if they can SUFFER."

Works cited: Bartle, Phil. The meaning of culture. CEC. 07.08.2010. 11.04.12
http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/soc-culm.htm
Lopes, Maria. International Movement Against Bullfighting.2002.2011

10.04.12

http://www.iwab.org/
WSPA. Bulfighting 15.04.12 http://www.wspainternational.org/helping/action/Bullfighting/bullfighting.aspx

Garza Muoz, Gabriela. Por qu es importante fomentar en los nios y las nias una cultura de respeto hacia los animales?AMADEA. 15.04.12 http://www.depadresahijos.org/educacion_psicologia/respeto_amedea.html
Art and Culture. 18.04.12 http://www.bullfightingfreeeurope.org/ WSPA. Anti- and pro-bullfighting groups go head to head in Europe. 12.05.12 http://www.wspa.org.uk/latestnews/2008/europebullfightingprotest.aspx

Gonzales, Isabel and Buskes, Ben. Complaint to the International Court of Justice for Animal Rights. Antbullfighting Committee Belgium and Comite Anti Stierenvechten, The Netherlands. 19 May 2012. http://www.ffw.ch/uploads/media/cas_complaint.pdf Zaldua, Enrique. In Spain, No Ole for Bullfights. Time World Magazine. 06 Aug. 2007. 18 May 20012. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1650050,00.html