Job Discussion Forums

[sheikh radlinrol]

Don't know how the rest of the posters feel about the encierros and the subsequent corridas. I certainly consider them barbaric and anachronistic. Spain as a nation has so much to offer and it surprises me that the government allows this to go on. One government minister recently stated publicly that the thing had to be looked at. What do the rest of you think? I think the bullfight ''tiene los dias contados''.

[mdk]

I saw one once on Spanish TV. The Matador proceeded to both 4 successive bulls. Not one of them was killed outright. The Spaniards watching were not revolted whereas if I had been in the ring I would have been throwing my seat cushion after the first one.

I think Pamplona makes too much money to close San Fermin

[Moore]

I must say, I never quite worked out why the bull has to die. It's really potentially quite a good late afternoon out, bring a couple of beers, sit with your mates in the evening sun, a bit like cricket, only with more bulls in it. The whole thing is incredible visually, the face to face confrontation of a man in tights and a jacket so gaudy even Elton John would think twice about wearing versus a 500kg ball of solid snorting, rather irritated muscle is already enough. In Portugal they are quite happy to zip around it and jump over it, and then let it go back to the fields without the ritual slaughter part.

At my second (and last) bullfight I saw a bull basically win, poking a horn through the matador's thigh, which in my book deserved a quick victory lap, bottle of champagne on the podium, then off to breed new winning bulls, instead of which some other junior matadors came on and killed the thing, probably with a fair quantity of understandable self interest in getting rid of one of the few bulls which manages to get even in a very uneven contest.

Apparently bullfighting is in serious decline here, due to lack of interest by young people, and the best bullfighting is now north of the border in southern France, which quite frankly they are welcome to.

[mdk]

Well in Portuguese and Provencal bull fights the bull isn't killed.

[sheikh radlinrol]

I understood that in France the bull was killed? In Portugal, no.
Here in Spain the bull is doomed from the moment it is selected for the corrida. It may be withdrawn from the ring if it is lame or doesn't respond to the cape, but it is then put to death out of sight of the public.

[Moore]

There's (a non-gruesome) video here from BBC World about the upcoming French bullfighting scene. The star is Sebastian Castella who is definitely one of the skewering-the-poor-little-b*gger-with-a-big-sword brigade.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6270000/newsid_6272100/6272108.stm?bw=nb&mp=rm

Sadly it seems the French do not play with their food

[mdk]

I dunno. The impression I got in Nimes and Arles was that the bull was not killed.

There is a short story by David Sedaris about going to some festival in Normandy which involved being chased around by cows.

My advice is to stay in the cantina and have a nice glass of sidra.

[sheikh radlinrol]