B
Baskil
Guest
Lurking, acting like an oink, playing devil's advocate
Lurking, acting like an oink, playing devil's advocate
E
EricBess
Guest
Yes, they use the carcass. I'm not 100% sure on what. I know that it is used for meat and I'm almost positive that the hide is also sold for leather. It's not a "senseless" death by that definition.
M
MrXarvox
Guest
...Not sure what they're for? I haven't ever been to a bullfight, I don't claim to be the neighborhood bullfight specialist, but I doubt that it's that difficult to figure out the purpose of sticking decorated barbs in the bull's neck. Most likely, they're there for:
a) frivolous decoration (seems to be a big part of bullfighting from what I've heard of it), and
b) making the bull angry with pain.
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EricBess
Guest
LOL. Actually, I agree with your first point, but I think it's more to help the Matador keep an eye on the target than the cause pain. Not saying it doesn't cause pain, mind you, just that this isn't it's primary purpose. I'm pretty sure the spears cause more pain than the bandarillos.
When you have 3 different people sticking 2 each of these things in from the angle that they do, you are more likely to get a general idea of the proper location to aim the sword. If one or two are off by a bit, the rest compensate. On the other hand, if the sword is off, the bull ends up in far more pain in the long run. From what I've seen, I question how angry the bull is.
Again, don't get me wrong. I'm not defending bullfighting. I'm just saying that there is a lot more care taken on the bulls behalf than you give it credit for (not that that matters to the bull in the end).
When you have 3 different people sticking 2 each of these things in from the angle that they do, you are more likely to get a general idea of the proper location to aim the sword. If one or two are off by a bit, the rest compensate. On the other hand, if the sword is off, the bull ends up in far more pain in the long run. From what I've seen, I question how angry the bull is.
Again, don't get me wrong. I'm not defending bullfighting. I'm just saying that there is a lot more care taken on the bulls behalf than you give it credit for (not that that matters to the bull in the end).
C
Chaos Turtle
Guest
The lances placed by the picadores are to weaken the bull's neck muscles, causing it to keep its head low. This is important as it makes it possible for the matodor to cleanly administer to coup de grace at the end.
The colorful barbed darts (banderillas) are to keep the bull from hooking and generally to keep the bull's head in a certain place, again to make the matador's job easier.
In fact, everthing that the matador's team does before he appears is to make his job easier. The killing blow is actually administered (if all goes well) by sliding the sword between the cervical vertebrae and into the heart.
The bulls are specially bred for fighting. Their bullfight will be the first time they have ever faced a man on foot. Some bulls don't fight, and are withdrawn from the ring. The bull carcasses are removed quickly and distributed to local butchers or markets.
Occasionally, bulls which are not killed are returned to the farm from which they came to live out the rest of their lives. This is rare.
No, I have never seen a bullfight, though I probably would if I had occasion too.
The colorful barbed darts (banderillas) are to keep the bull from hooking and generally to keep the bull's head in a certain place, again to make the matador's job easier.
In fact, everthing that the matador's team does before he appears is to make his job easier. The killing blow is actually administered (if all goes well) by sliding the sword between the cervical vertebrae and into the heart.
The bulls are specially bred for fighting. Their bullfight will be the first time they have ever faced a man on foot. Some bulls don't fight, and are withdrawn from the ring. The bull carcasses are removed quickly and distributed to local butchers or markets.
Occasionally, bulls which are not killed are returned to the farm from which they came to live out the rest of their lives. This is rare.
No, I have never seen a bullfight, though I probably would if I had occasion too.
S
Sammy Dead-O
Guest
I won't say much here, since I remember igniting way more than necessary on this board just by asking if there were any other vegetarians, but I feel like I should respond, since animal issues are important to me.
I have never seen a bullfight, and if I did ever go to one, it would be to get a firsthand look at the event and feel more justified in my opinions of it.
As it stands right now, however, there is only a small portion of me that feels the events of a bullfight can be justified. I understand that animals are going to be slaughtered. I can't stop that. And until I get a greater understanding of the pain of death by bullfight vs. the pain of death by slaughterhouse, I can't really base an argument on that comparison. However, I think EricBess hit on something very important when he wrote this:
Just $.02 from a tree-'n-animal-huggin' leftie.
I have never seen a bullfight, and if I did ever go to one, it would be to get a firsthand look at the event and feel more justified in my opinions of it.
As it stands right now, however, there is only a small portion of me that feels the events of a bullfight can be justified. I understand that animals are going to be slaughtered. I can't stop that. And until I get a greater understanding of the pain of death by bullfight vs. the pain of death by slaughterhouse, I can't really base an argument on that comparison. However, I think EricBess hit on something very important when he wrote this:
Bullfighting turns the animal into a toy. It's almost hopelessly overpowered in the whole ordeal, yet its defeat gains glory for the bullfighter. A creature's life is taken to prove...what? It is a tradition, but those can use overhauls now and then.
Just $.02 from a tree-'n-animal-huggin' leftie.