John: if you like Kant and Nietzsche, then you’ll love the two following quotations on the bullfight.

“In a bullfight the bull is the hero of a tragedy. First driven mad by suffering, he dies a slow and terrible death.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

“”Such the ungentle sport that oft invites
The Spanish maid, and cheers the Spanish swain,
Nurtured in blood betimes, his heart delights
In vengeance, gloating on another’s pain.”
Lord Byron

Always interesting to read intelligent comments. And you have to love any batch of letters on a story about bullfighting that includes a mention of Nietzsche and Kant.

I am writing, however, to answer one of the questions above: the meat is donated to orphanages.

And, a minor distinction, perhaps: for the true aficionados, the entertainment is not in seeing an animal die, but in watching a skilled bullfighter practice his craft, most impressively in concert with a strong, powerful bull. It’s the difference between going to a Formula One race to see any old driver get into an accident, or to see Michael Schumacher work his way around the field. Both are bound to happen, of course, but the question is your motive in attending. You might call that a distinction without a difference, and you might be right, but I felt compelled to raise it.

Again, thanks for reading, and thanks for writing.

-John
johnubacon.com

Of course, you have the moral high ground here, although there is a less obvious, more subtle argument that vegetarianism, at least on grounds of ethics rather than taste, is a denial of life, but then I would have to wheel out Nietzsche and Kant, and this is not the place for such dry academic artillery…

To Alexander: good point about eating as entertainment.

Next! Keep the line rolling, we got a lot of beef to grind today.

You both raise good points.

I trust it’s clear I have more than a few reservations about it. There are times it’s just impossible to watch.

But having seen it done well, and also researched our slaughterhouses a little, I’m not as quick to judge as I might be. If there’s one target I rarely can resist striking, it’s hypocrisy, and we’re guilty of some here — though ABC’s additions are on the mark, in my view. There were times I found myself impressed by the bullfighter’s work, despite myself. I can understand why many Spaniards go to see a bullfighter like Ordonez in his prime.

In some ways it mimics my utterly mixed feelings about boxing — wonderful to see done well, and horrible to see done poorly, and worse to see the long term effects on the boxers. Even football can come with a terrible price, one that’s hard to reconcile with our glorification of the athletes and the games.

Obviously, I would never object to Catalonia banning bullfighting – nor any other place — and we need to see the NFL and the NCAA do more to protect the players on the field, not just during their careers, but years after.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for writing.

-John

p.s. I did not know that Birkenstocks now come in Vegan styles, but I should have guessed it! Thanks for the information.