Brave or Cruel
The first time I saw a bullfight in front of TV when I was a kid. At the beginning, I was applauding that fighter for his braveness and tact. Until the bull was killed bloodily by the thrust of the sword and the audiences were all cheering, I confused. Either the fighter or the bull had to be suffered at the end of the show or the bull as a symbol of some kind of evil in Spain so they deserved to be killed cruelly?
Bullfighting has existed for thousands years and it has been popular in Spain for nearly one thousand years, though some say it has existed in Spain since the time of Emperor Claudius two thousand years ago.
This is the fate of these innocent animals. To be used to entertain a crowd that lusts for blood and claims that bullfighting is a tradition and "cultural heritage". What about the brave executers. Bullfighters are rarely injured and seldom killed in the ring. With their weapons to weaken the bull until it can no longer fight, their lives are not at great risk. In fact, in the last 50 years only 10 bullfighters have been killed by bulls worldwide.
Within bullfighting countries there is a small but strong following that keeps bullfighting alive, largely based on the claim that it is part of the country’s culture. All bullfighting countries have a fascinating history, with a rich culture that they should be proud of. However, evidence is showing us that most citizens of these countries do not want animal cruelty to be part of their heritage. Such this tradition is neither necessary nor humane.
A huge amount of supporters come from tourism, because tourists are led to believe that bullfighting is part of a particular country. It is difficult to estimate how many people in the audience of a bullfight are tourists and how many are local citizens. But there is definitely a strong argument that if international public opinion continues appeal to tourists stop attending, the bullfights may no longer economically viable. Related to “The Lottery”, if the executers and the spectators do have a little sympathy, they wouldn’t let the “culture heritage” as their excuse for killing. Towards to variety of “cultures” in the world, people have their obligations to keep the good ones and eliminate those harmful rituals.
Fortunately, with the rise of the animal rights movement, an increasing number of people have been critical of bullfighting, both within Spain and in the rest of the world. Animal rights activists argue that the practice is brutal. They also differentiate between killing for meat - considered to be killing for necessity, and killing for fun.
Common criticism made by bullfighting supporters is that people oppose bullfighting but they eat meat! This particular criticism is ridiculous. I believe that almost every one eats meat and as a basic necessity to support people’s daily consumption, people wouldn’t treat their hamburgers and “bloody bull” in a same manner. At least, I won’t buy a ticket to join the crowed to cheer for the brave fighter. Just as I wouldn’t get myself involved in the stoning group, I couldn’t make the execution stop though.
In July 2010, the Spanish region of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting. The ban, the first time in mainland Spain, will go into effect in January 2012. "We want to benefit from this major success in Catalonia to extend this ban to the rest of the Spanish territory”, said José Ramón, a representative from an animal welfare association. “But we’re not trying to get into any debate about identity and nationalism and any of the arguments that are now being used by politicians that have nothing to do with animal rights.” (Minder, The New York Times) The fact that bullfighting has a long cultural history in Spain does not excuse the cruelty to bulls who are tortured and die incredibly painful, slow deaths in bullfighting rings.

Reference:
Raphael Minder. Animal Welfare Activists to Protest Bullfighting in Spain. 2010. Web. 20 Sep, 2011