Neither heroes nor villains

Bullfighters: neither heroes nor villains Times are changing in Spain: heroes become villains, bulls become martyrs of a growing animalist movement that fights against some of the most powerful traditions that, currently are cornered and endangered. Those who until very recently proclaimed themselves owners of this country are trapped in the bullrings where they continue to celebrate their “fiesta nacional”, with one eye set on the bullring and the other on the streets, fearful of a country where their discourse doesn’t find much room any longer. They grew up like heroic members of a special caste in Spanish society. Icons of value and honor, keepers of tradition, ambassadors of a country’s culture that turns its back on them as the first generation of Spaniards born within the European Union shows no appreciation for this kind of display. We are facing the end of one of the most controversial cultural manifestations preserved in Europe. A spectacle of cruel and anachronistic beauty that is close to disappearing and that has much to teach us about our darker side and how we deal with it.