Richard Jernigan -> RE: Tauromagia vid? (Feb. 15 2021 1:14:49)
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ORIGINAL: mrstwinkle I grew up on a dairy farm. I'm more scared of cows with calves than of bulls. Nature. I've been attacked by both. I was six years old in the case of the cow. She was part of a small dairy herd. Her calf was "down" and the cow had not rejoined the herd. She was known to have been well behaved with previous calves. I was in the company of my mother, her sister, my brother, and a well built 17-year old cousin. The cow and calf were in a grassy part of a fairly large barnyard. As we approached to try to see what was wrong with the calf, the cow suddenly charged. She targeted me, perhaps as the smallest member of the group. My cousin probably saved my life when he picked up a piece of timber, stepped toward the cow, and hit her on the head hard enough to bring her to her knees. From age 4 to age 17 I spent every summer on a south Texas cattle ranch. After WW II the herd was transitioned to the Santa Gertrudis breed, developed by the King Ranch. Santa Gertrudis bulls are notoriously aggressive. The "best one" for several years, judged by his offspring, was both crafty and murderous. Coastal Bermuda grass, imported from Africa, will grow more than six feet tall if there's plenty of rain. This bull would hide in the tall grass and ambush any human he could, whether the person was mounted or on foot. All other bulls of the same breed on the ranch were mortally dangerous too. I have said before that the corrida aficionado's empathy is compartmentalized. He or she enjoys a rapport with the torero's stylish bravery, but feels little or no compunction for the bull. In my opinion, a major reason for this is that the bull shows no sign whatsoever of pain or suffering. He does what he is bred to do: he tries to kill any other living thing in the ring, with single minded determination. To human anthropomorphism this looks like bravery, just as the Santa Gertrudis bull's craftiness and aggression look like criminal intent. It requires some abstract thought to consider the bull's situation, while the actions of the matador and banderillero are stylized to emphatically display skill and grace in the face of danger, with immediate effect. It used to be that the picadors were disparaged and whistled at in contempt when they entered the ring. Nowadays the horses are pretty well armored, and the bulls are pic'ed far less and far less savagely. When I was young, 90% of the people in south Texas spoke Spanish at home. The corrida was illegal in Texas, but readily available 30 miles away, just across the river. I was an aficionado in my youth. I attended regularly at the old Plaza Mexico in the Capital, at the spectacular ring of Zacatecas and elsewhere in Mexico, and during youthful trips to Spain. From November to March, the off season in Spain, the greatest toreros would come to Mexico. The opportunity to attend diminished as I moved away from Texas and spent more time on business. Out of curiosity I attended the Corrida Goyesca in Ronda in 2018 and 2019. It was sold out both times. In 2018 I was surprised when the young Peruvian Andres Roca Rey excited some of the old emotions. In 2019 I was surprised at the Spaniards' apparent indifference to the cynical swindle we were subjected to. More than once I had seen the upper tiers of the Plaza Mexico boil over in rage and attack the ring for far lesser offenses than the cowardice shown by the toreros and the obviously drugged bulls. The Spaniards just sat there. Either way, at my present age I agree with the Spanish Ilustrados of the 19th century who spoke against the corrida. In the old days it may have had some value as an object lesson in how to face death. These days, despite the pandemic we face death far less often than the Spanish did in the 19th century, and we avoid facing it when we can. The corrida is disappearing of its own accord, hastened I would think, by the sort of crimes committed at Ronda in 2019. I was fortunate to experience it in my youth. I am fortunate to have lived long enough to see it fade away. RNJ
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