Bullfighting in the Spanish Media

I recently attended my first "corrida de toros," or bullfight in Madrid. Before going to see the bullfight, I was not sure how I felt about the "sport." I did not know if I was against it because it was a cruel act against the animals as 6 bulls are killed in every bullfight and they are outnumbered by numerous bullfighters which, in my opinion, did not make it a fair fight. But I also understood the fact that bullfighting is part of the Spanish culture and in Spain it is seen as an elegant dance and intimate moment between a man and a animal and that bullfighters supposedly have immense respect for the bulls. In class, we discussed how in Spaniards are equally conflicted when it comes to this topic. In general, people from Madrid are for bullfights while people from Catalonia are against it, even banning it recently.

These clashing opinions on bullfighting can be seen in the Spanish media, specifically, in Spanish newspapers. When bullfighting was prohibited in Catalonia, La Vanguardia, a conservative newspaper that supports the monarchy and is Catalan from Barcelona, had the headline "Adiós al Toreo" implying that the prohibition revived the tension between Spaniards and Catalans.

El Mundo, on the other hand, which is a conservative People's Party newspaper from Madrid, had the headline "Triunfaron los Animales" which demonstrated their strong opinions against the prohibition.

 ABC, the official newspaper of the monarchy from Madrid which is very controversial, was less polite in expressing their pro-bullfight opinions with the headline "La Farsa Nacionalista Acaba con los Toros en Cataluña." All of these headlines were accompanied by images that expressed the paper's strong opinions. 

After attending a bullfight and now being able to formulate my own opinion, I am respectfully against them. I do not find entertainment in watching an animal be killed. I understand the culture behind it and therefore I respect Spaniards who are pro-bullfights. They have also grown around bullfights and with the mentality that they are part of their Spanish heritage. We are all entitled to our own opinions.