Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Politics getting involved in the Catalonia bullfighting ban

Bullfighting is to Spain what baseball is to America. The Spanish province had, on July 28, bullfighting banned. In 2010, the Catalan bullfighting ban will start. The ban was passed by Catalonian parliament in Barcelona when animal rights activists cheered with job and happiness. Numerous suspect animal cruelty was not the reason the bullfighting ban was put into place. It was a political act of Catalon nationalism as the province tries to set itself apart from the rest of Spain.

Catalonia bullfighting ban doesn’t care about the bulls

The Catalonia bullfighting ban is not about the bulls; it is about politics. NPR reminds us that there were only 15 bullfights in the one Catalonian bullring every year anyway. When it passed, numerous worried that Spanish culture would be tainted, when others were glad the cruelty was going to end. Catalonians want to be independent from Spain by breaking from Spanish tradition. The bullfighting ban in and around Barcelona is expected to have little effect on the suffering of the bulls. About 1,000 bullfights take place in Spain every year.

Madrid and Catalonia separated through bullfighting

The Catalonia bullfighting ban was taken seriously by fans and Spanish conservatives. The Associated Press reports the Popular Party is hoping there won’t be any anti-Spanish rebukes although that seems unlikely. Catalonia is a wealthy and powerful province with its own language (Catalan) and culture, as well as a strong penchant for self-rule. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if this was entirely political considering Catalonia always tries to be different from the rest of the country.

Using bullfighting to work up rebellion

The Catalonia bullfighting ban indeed has nothing to do with sympathy for the bulls bleeding to death within the bullring, according to Spanish travel blogger Damian Corrigan. Writing for About.com, Corrigan said Catalonia’s self-indulgent struggle for freedom is illogical and irrelevant in today’s Europe. Really, all that Catalonians want are less taxes going to Madrid. Coherent political stances are optional and rebellion exists simply for the sake of rebellion.

More on this topic

NPR

npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/07/28/128817532/bullfighting-banned-in-spanish-province

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hoSaaIUwsevwg2RB34sY8mHh7tNAD9H82A704

About.com

gospain.about.com/b/2010/07/28/barcelona-bullfighting-ban.htm



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