Kiara Boey

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Prof. Agee
Composition 1010
November 26, 2014
Brutality of Bullfighting
Bright red flag swishing, the elaborately dressed matador emerges into the ring. Much to
the crowds delight, he steps confidently in the path of the raging bull, brandishing a sword and
aiming to kill. The picture of grace and bravery, right? Wrong. Bullfighting is a cowardly act,
proving nothing but how cruel and abusive humans can be. As much as it is glorified in Spanish
culture, bullfighting is truly nothing more than flaunting barbarism and animal abuse. Though
widely considered a time-treasured tradition of Spanish culture, the act of bullfighting is not only
inhumane to the animals, but also poses a danger to society by threatening human lives and
promoting savagery.
Bullfighting is an ancient cultural tradition that has been in Spain for centuries.
According to an article on Ideal Spain, it began in 711 A.D. and has been the national sport of
Spain ever since. Originally, only noblemen on horseback were allowed to partake in this fight,
but eventually King Filipe V changed the rules to only commoners, as he felt it was bad for the
public eye to see. As the common folk were usually too poor to afford a horse, they fought on
their feet, and thus evolved the way of bullfighting (Ideal Spain). It is well known that back in
the days of prominent social hierarchies that noblemen had much more respect and admiration
than peasants or workers. King Filipe V decided that bullfighting was not appropriate for
noblemen; this clearly shows that even centuries ago Spaniards were already questioning the
moral legality of bullfighting. Yes, this king allowed commoners to fight, but back in his days,

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peasants were treated as second-class citizens. The fact that he allowed these people to fight does
not mean much, because during this time period they barely qualified as human beings; why not
use them for sport and entertainment? What King Filipe V did do was ensure that his respected
noblemen were not in harms way, as he knew they would be in a bullfighting ring.
A bullfighting ring is a place meant for matadors to display acts of bravery and skills.
However, how can a country glorify the actions of murderers in an unfair fight? There is a
process to preparing and slowly killing the bulls, all of which begins much before they even set
hoof in the ring. The bulls are routinely beaten, tranquilized, and given laxatives to weaken
them both mentally and physically. In order to further confuse the bull and disrupt his eyesight,
petroleum jelly is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision, and he is kept in darkness, so when he
enters the ring his eyes are dazzled by the light (CHAI). Clearly, this is not even close to a fair
fight. The matadors have everything going for them to ensure that they win the fight. According
to an article on CHAI, one of the stages of a bullfight involves the matadors assistants driving
lances into the bull, not only to further wound him, but also to mark where the matador should
aim for his death blow. This article also describes the other stages of bullfighting before the
matador, which includes demonstrations to not only weaken the bull, but also to allow the
matador to see the bulls habits ahead of time (CHAI). Does the bull get the same advantage, to
face an equally weakened and knowledgeable opponent in what is decidedly its last fight? No.
The bull is left completely defenseless after all his weaknesses are exploited and used against
him. The matador deserves no roses or praise or trophies for putting the final blow in an already
dying animal.

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While many people cherish bullfighting, the cruelty towards the bulls is constantly
ignored. The process of torture used on the bulls begins long before they are actually killed.
According to an article on PETA, the bulls are starved for days before being taunted multiple
times in the ring before the matador even enters. These steps are used to make the bull lose a lot
of blood and disable its head so that it is weakened and easier for the matador to handle (PETA).
These are absolutely abhorrent actions. The act of bullfighting asks for those involved to go out
of their way to abuse the bulls. No one, human or animal, deserves the cruel torture so many
bulls face each year. There is nothing glorious about watching the bulls suffer; they are
weakened and in pain from the moment they enter the ring, and only further humiliated once
inside. They are not even given a fair shot at survival, as so many steps are taken to ensure that
the bull has lost its strength to make it an easy kill for the matador. Matadors deserve no praise
for killing the bull, period, but the fact that they are given immense advantages over the bull just
makes the situation all the more cruel and horrific. A former bullfighter Alvaro Munera recalled
one of his fights in an interview, claiming that The scene was so terrible that I puked and started
to cry (Bullfighting: The Facts). Matadors are trained to be prepared for this kind of sight, so
the fact that they, too, find it gut-wrenching proves just how heinous and gruesome bullfighting
is. To see anyone including a bull- suffering and in agony should be absolute torment for
anyone. The dignified death bulls are supposed to receive in bullfights is inexistent; they die
slowly and horribly. Making a tradition of torturing animals is absolutely disgusting and should
not be tolerated by anyone.
Bullfighting is not only harmful to the bulls, but also poses a danger to the humans
involved. While the role of the matador is supposedly glorious and proud, this job is also

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dangerous and gory, and many matadors are injured each year. One article on the website
Bullfighting: The Facts details the story of one former matador, Alvaro Munera, who was forced
to quit bullfighting after he was permanently injured in his last fight. The wounds he received
from the bull paralyzed him and he is now restricted to a wheel chair (Bullfighting: The Facts).
Despite the multi-step process of torture and obviously weakened state, bulls are still powerful
enough to present a formidable opponent to the matadors. Injured or not, they have immense
strength and speed; a deadly combination that easily puts the matadors in danger. The bulls in the
ring are also in a state of fright, and thus like all animals are even more dangerous because of
their fear. The others that help to antagonize the bull before the matador are also privy to the
bulls wrath and have also been injured throughout the years. Beside inside the ring, the fans
outside, too, are in danger. According to the Infobase Learning database on bullfighting, last
august forty fans were injured when a bull broke into the stands (Infobase Learning). There is
clear danger from being involved in bullfights, from intentionally interacting with the bull to
simply observing the chaos. When the crowds gather to watch the bullfight, they are forgetting
that they are extremely close to a wounded and angry wild animal. They are there for the show,
and carelessly put their lives in danger in the process. Bulls easily outweigh and outsize humans
and are known for their brute force. Add in the fact that the tortured bull is forced into a ring and
provoked, and the result is an arena of lives in danger.
Besides the millions of bull deaths each year and the clear danger posed to human life
from all angles, bullfighting puts another, much less noticed, animal in harms way. Horses are
used in every bullfight, not only to drag the bulls body out of the ring, but also to be ridden upon
by the picadors wielding spears (SHARK). The horses involved are generally overlooked; after

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all, the spectators at a bullfight are eager to see the bulls murdered, not care to notice more than
one display of animal cruelty occurring right beneath their noses. One article on SHARK
describes how the horses are often severely wounded or even killed in the ring. Like the bulls,
the horses ridden by picadors are given an outrageous disadvantage to surviving the fight, unlike
any of the human beings involved. The horses are blindfolded for the picadors safety, and unlike
their riders, are not given any protective wear against the bulls attacks. The tortured bull cannot
depict the fact that it is the picador, not the horse, that is causing it pain, and thus goes for the
horse rather than the rider (SHARK). Inevitably, thousands of horses die each year from
bullfights alone. It is absolutely sickening to know that this double-display of animal cruelty is
still allowed in this day and age. The fact that the horses deaths go by unnoticed or uncared for,
demonstrates the horrible desensitization that is happening to the Spanish community. This twofold display of animal abuse should instantly be a red flag for all of society; unfortunately, this
alarming and despicable abuse is ignored.
Bullfighting also threatens society by promoting violence and savagery. The deliberate
abuse of animals is obviously traumatizing for anyone to see or participate in, and there is
actually science to back this up. According to one PETA article on the UNs stand on
bullfighting, 140 scientists and academics wrote to politicians in Spain pointing out that
promoting animal abuse has a negative effect on society as a wholeit can desensitise them to
violence. While this should really come as no surprise, it is unnerving to know that there is
research to prove this danger to society. Desensitizing a population of people for generations is
absolutely a major problem. If people can grow to be indifferent to watching animal abuse pan
out on a daily basis, what is to stop them from growing accustomed to seeing other humans

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abused? The answer is nothing. If bullfighting continues, there is nothing to prevent people from
getting used to violence to the point where they do not even realize how abominable their actions
are. Abuse is already a problem enough as it is; society does not need further encouragement to
continue these deplorable acts. The United Nations is continuously communicating with the
Portuguese government to undertake awareness raising measures about the physical and mental
violence associated with bullfighting and its impact on children(The Portugal News). The UN is
responsible for protecting humanity, and seeing how this committee is insistent about this topic,
demonstrates what a tremendous issue bullfighting has become. So many studies have been done
to prove how things like video games and T.V. shows promote violence in children, yet so many
countries refuse to recognize the very obvious problem they are creating by hosting bullfights.
Yes, seeing violence on-screen is desensitizing for children to see. However, watching a bullfight
and seeing the brutality in person is even worse. Kids can see that it is not only okay for the
people in the ring to act cruelly towards the bull, but that those people are praised, cheered for,
and rewarded for their savagery. This leads them to believe that it is perfectly acceptable to be
just as violent as what they see, and in turn is creating a massive problem for society.
There are infinite reasons why bullfighting is wrong and should be abolished. This is a
custom that glorifies the torture of an animal, another living thing, with no other purpose but to
see the bull in pain and suffering while making the matador appear tough and brave. Bullfighting
is not brave; it is a stupid and cowardly act that benefits no one. The bulls are put through a slow,
painful and agonizing death, without even a fair chance to fight. The matadors should take no
pride in triumphing over an animal in such a weakened state as the bulls are when they enter the
ring. They seek attention and praise for participating in countless acts of torture while at the

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same time carelessly putting themselves in danger, as do all the others who choose to take part in
bullfighting. Bullfighting is all around a horrendous and despicable action; it threatens countless
lives as well as the fragile society we live in. The traditions of each culture are meant to be
special rituals, things that future generations can cherish and be proud of. Bullfighting is nothing
of the sort; it is absolutely deplorable and deserves no place in society.

Works Cited
"Bullfighting: A Tradition of Tragedy." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"Bullfighting." CHAI. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
"Bullfighting in Spain." Ideal Spain. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
"Bullfighting: The Facts lvaro Mnera - Bullfighter Who Quit." Bullfighting: The Facts lvaro Mnera - Bullfighter Who Quit. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"Is Bullfighting an Important Cultural Tradition That Should Be Preserved?" N.p., n.d. Web. 1
Nov. 2014.
Lopes, Maria. "Horses-The Forgotten Victims of Bullfighting." SHARK. N.p., 2006. Web. 13
Dec. 2014.
"UN: Violent Bullfighting Goes Against Children's Rights - Animal Writes: PETA Foundation's
Blog Animal Writes: PETA Foundation's Blog." Animal Writes PETA Foundations Blog. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"UN Worried over Portuguese Children's Welfare at Bullfights." - The Portugal News. N.p., n.d.
Web. 1 Nov. 2014.