The Bull's Final Fight

Dearest friends,

This is the entry on Bull Fighting. I admit that I was quite excited about witnessing it live for the first time in Spain itself instead of looking at photos or video of the event from various media. It is in fact, a hallmark and tradition, perhaps the ultimate pride of the Spanish if anything else.

Yes, we all know it, the glorious matador in the most suave and graceful stance waving and jerking the Red at the creature and with a swift dodge, he avoids the massive yet quick charging albeit somewhat clumsy bull. Yes, we all have seen it, be it from the Idiot Box or documentary magazines. And then with the successful dodge, the matador turns around in a movement ever so nimble like a ballerina, facing the bull while enraging it with the Red in his hands in anticipation of yet another fatal charge.

This, as you may know it, takes place six times consecutively with loud cheers of “OLE!” from the crowd, every time he successfully performs the dodge in close proximity to the animal. And here comes the finale, facing the severely wounded bull, which is taking its final charge towards its own demise and with the Long Sword in the matador’s hand, he plunges it hard and deep into the bull’s heart, again with the crowd cheering in succession. By now, only the Death God awaits patiently with welcoming arms before the creature draws its last breathe lying on the sandy ground, but not before the matador strikes hard to plant a dagger into its brain, the quick hard dagger plunging through its thick skull triggers a final nervous signal from its gray matter to its limbs, jerking all four of them before its body finally thumps softly on the ground, breathless and dead.

My dear friend, what is shown in your conventional media channel is how glorious and graceful bullfighting is. However, as I sit high up in the stadium witnessing the aftermath, all that ever takes place other than the proud matador parading with his prize, the bull’s ear in his hand being showered with cheers and salutes, is the dead bull being dragged behind the scenes like a ragdoll by three colorfully decorated and blindfolded stallions. I sympathize the three “dead-meat-dragging-machines”, though. With a heavy heart and a sense of dreadfulness, let the Sights & Sounds of this gruesome tradition roll…

Sights & Sounds

Outside the Ring

A.k.a. Bull slaughtering house

It Has a Name

Plaza De Toros De La Misericordia

The Ring

Where souls of bulls are reaped in the name of entertainment

Programme

The illustration that was under moody lighting

The People

Enthusiastic group before it began

Gates Heaven and Hell

From this gate, the spiritual creature emerges

Into this gate, it is dragged within…soul-less

The Almighty

The Charging Dead

The Charge

This is done repeatedly to tire out the bull

Lure & Poke

The bull is being enraged to attack the horse and at that exact moment, the bull will be stabbed and ultimately resulting in a handicap

Hook & Bleed

After the above, this matador will stab 6 hooks onto the bull while facing the death defying charge

Heavily Handicapped

And this is called Bullfighting?

This ain’t no fighting. It is the brutal murdering of bulls under the veil of entertainment/tradition

Enrage

With the Red

The Matador I

The Graceful Stance

The Matador II

The Glorious Dodge

In close proximity

The Matador III

The Piercing

Signals that the end is near for the bull

Succumbing

To Death

Death

Befalls the device of entertainment

End of Misery

With the ultimate stab

The Prize

Bull’s Ear - Symbol of "Victory”

Used

And disposed

Parade

Of the “proud” and “victorious”

POTD: REMEMBER

Again, REMEMBER this image every and each time they showcase the glorious moments of the matadors. In my humble opinion, I feel sorry that it is nothing more than glorified murdering of bulls.

Okay, consider this something I find difficult to swallow in the name of tradition/culture or at all. Nonetheless, I accept that it is part and parcel of this civilization. However, being human’s culture; I hope it can be something to be left behind us for it is as vile and cruel as Gladiator Combats amongst many blissfully ignored cruelties.

So much for the initial excitement.

WaY