Bullfighting at 11 yrs old is wrong in every way

Sometimes you just can’t believe what you read. And even video is not enough to get things to sink in.



What can you say about this?

Well the first thing that caught my attention is the fact that the child started in this profession at the tender age of 4. That is just way too young.

Now I realize that animal activists are enraged at the thought of a bullfight. But stepping away from groups that tend to go off the deep end on anything that they disagree with, I still find this horrible.

Given that cultures around the world have sports or activities that I might disagree with. Hell, there are activities in the U.S. that I just have to shake my head at. But my preference of futbol, or my dislike of stir fried milk has nothing to do with this.

I have to wonder if Michelito is going out and risking death, because even a young bull can easily kill a child, because of his own passion or that of his father. Is this the equivalent of child beauty pageants? Is this a father’s quest for continued glory via his son?

It sounds like it to me. It’s not the bullfighting that upsets me. And if this kid were 18, maybe even 16, I wouldn’t question it. But he is 11, and even in foreign countries children are not the equal of adults when it comes to decisions and consequences.

Worse yet, if the Guinness Book of Records accepts what this child has done it will be a motivation for other parents to have their child try to break the record. And there is no argument against this. For every record there is someone trying to break it, and capture their 15 seconds of fame. So if the record becomes 6 bulls and 11 years, the next try might be 10 and 5 bulls. Or 9 and 4 bulls. Where does it end? Where does our global societal concern for children outweigh our global need for more risky and deadly sporting fetishes?

Will it take the death of Michelito at 12 to say this was wrong? Or the death of some other child trying to break the record?

This reminds me of a statement I have said many times before.

“Just because we can do it, does not mean we should.”

This kid could be the Tiger Woods of bullfighting, and it still does not justify what he is doing. At least in my opinion. Obviously the father disagrees. But so do parents that give their kids drugs to keep them quiet, or those that let their kids get married off at puberty to 50 year olds. And society agrees that the parent is wrong there.

Worst of all has to be the crowds that come to see such a sporting event. Often in bullfighting the question is who will win, the bull or the matador. But with a child in the ring the question for spectators becomes ‘will I see this child die in front of my eyes’. And I cannot fathom why anyone would pay to see the potential of that outcome.

This is wrong. Maybe I’m just an uncultured American – but if I am I can live with that lack of culture. I hope that someone slaps some sense into the father and prevents the future potential of death and/or disfigurement of this child.