[The Dude Abides]

Well, I don't normally admit it, but I have season tickets on the front row to bull fighting season here in Bogota. I'm also a member of a barra taurina.

A bull fight is a brutal thing, but it is steeped in history, culture, and philosophy all about life and death. It is really an extension of the patron mentality in Latin America. The main job of the matador is to make the bull's death proud and glorious. When it works out that way, people are moved to tears. I've seen a bull fight where the bull was so magnificent during the fight that they decided to let it go (indultaron el toro). That is a real treat.

Anyway... not for everybody, I admit.

[HairOfTheDog]

Lots of disgusting and barbaric things are rich with history, culture and art. That's where I'd leave them.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Thank you for your description.

Attending a bullfight in Seville (near front-row seats, below the judges) was a mesmerizing experience for me and Mrs. B. It is a ritualized slaughter that holds the animal in the highest esteem, compared to any other form of slaughter. When viewed as such, it can be poetic.

[ahayes]

It's an animal. It doesn't understand pride and glory. I understand the experience may manufacture certain emotions in the spectators, but I think it is inhumane to use the animal in that fashion. If I were a dumb animal I'd take a bolt in the brain any day, forget "glory."

[Constantine XIII]

At least the critter gets to fight back, unlike the slaughterhouse.