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Please Don't Judge Me

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I went to a cockfight and bullfight last week as part of the Feria de Manizales festivities. I was raised well enough to understand that these events are morally wrong. I still went because I have always been curious about them.

I have to say that I enjoyed both fights, more or less. Not enough to want to go to either on a regular basis but I have to admit I had a fun time.  In a way I appreciate fighting for sport. I myself competed in greco roman wrestling way back for over six years. But unlike the cocks or bulls I never died the many times I lost a match. Our fights barely  compare in reality.

The Cock Fight

I found myself randomly waiting for a cockfight to start on a night out with friends in Manizales, Colombia. We were at a place with lots of traditional western-style bars (fondas) when I was told they were going to have a cockfight in the back a few minutes later.

A few minutes turned into nearly an hour as they prepped the cocks.

Meanwhile I saw the perfect business opportunity to work as a bookie.

Alright so in reality I bet US$5 on a cock. The real bookie was smart. For a while they showed off one cock while the other was hidden in the back. They fooled me and with everyone else without a clue. We all bed on the less talented bird.

Here I am posing with the loser before the match

Then back to taking more bets

At the time my friends and I were psyched taking shot after shot of aguardiente in anticipation. With a fight in progress we all enjoyed ourselves cheering at the novelty at it all. Until one bird mercilessly ripped the other apart. At that point we went from WOOOOOOOOOOO to ohhhh….ummmm..yeah.

The Bullfight

In Manizales Plaza de Toros my Swiss friend joined me after I found us some scalper tickets outside the stadium for US$30 each. Once inside the stadium we settled onto the bleachers and lit the candle provided. The stadium lights went out creating this view.

All around us were burning candles and the atmosphere left us without words.

The opening ceremony began with a bunch of steriotypical men on horses and properly dressed people saying something at the center of the ring. The national anthem and city’s anthem were both played.

It wasn’t long before the matador’s were ready and the bull ran out into the ring.

Then death ensued.

Does this make me a horrible person?

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Comments

  1. You chose to watch events that

    1. May be morally wrong but would have happened whether you were there or not.

    2. Helped you to understand (or at least see) an aspect of the culture where you were….and

    3. Gave you an opportunity to converse with and meet the people who do attend these events and who consider them a regular part of their lives.

    Now, if you decide to open your own cockfighting/bullfighting ring, then I will have an opinion 😉

  3. No, I understand why you did it and don’t have a problem with the fact that you did, in fact if I were you morbid curiosity may very well have overcome me, too, and I would’ve done the same thing. However, I still can’t wait to see bullfighting completely banned worldwide, it’s a horrible and disgusting thing, terribly immoral. Same with cockfighting.

    Cheers,
    Andrew

  5. I’ve been to a bullfight once as well. I justified it somewhat on the basis that I got in for free. I have no desire to ever go again. I’ve also been to the “ping pong” show. I’m supposed to feel bad about that as well but I cant really bring myself to that feeling…

  8. There are some countries that make cockfighting illegal, but there are also countries that legalized cockfighting. In fact, cockfighting is a huge business in many parts of the world.

  9. These event may appear immoral to some. But in some cultures these are centuries of tradition. I would suggest see the cockfighting tradition of the Philippines.

  10. These event may appear immoral to some. But in some cultures these are centuries of tradition. I would suggest see the cockfighting tradition of the Philippines.