How young is too young to be subjected to the gruesome tradition of bullfighting?
Recently, ten-year-old Michel Lagravere, known as Michelito, killed six young bulls bullfighting in one weekend. This young matador has set the Guinness World Records of being the youngest bullfighter to kill so many calves, but is this a good thing?
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Of course, bullfighting is not part of my family’s culture, so I have a hard time understanding the “sport”; however, I would not take my vegetarian children to see such a spectacle, even at the age of ten. I can’t imagine actually participating in it at this young age, even for the award of two bull ears (yikes!).
According to the Guardian, the boy matador was almost not allowed to fight:
Pressure from anti-bullfighting activists and child rights groups had earlier prompted the local child protection agency to prohibit Michelito’s Saturday fight on the grounds that he should not be allowed to put his life in danger.
What about the six bulls’ lives? Michelito began bullfighting at the age of six! He has been banned from bullfighting in Spain, where the minimum age requirement for a matador is 16, so he has come to Latin America. Michelito has said:
No one can stop me fighting…People throw money at me but I am not paid a salary, just my expenses. I don’t do it for money, that will come later. At the moment, I just want to be allowed to fight bulls. I was born a bull fighter and I will die one.
This goes along with my suggestion that if you eat meat you should have killed it at least once in your life.
Bob, I agree completely!
I have no problem with him bullfighting. It his life and if he enjoys what he does and chooses to risk his life then thats his choice. I believe he is old enough to understand that at this point. What I have issue with is the killing of the calves. I am totally against killing animals simply for sport and entertainment and I think allowing that teaches thew boy not to value life.