Bring the Kids

Good news for the cattle haters among you.  A bullfighting firm in Seville is planning on giving free tickets to children under the age of eight.  This, announced the firm, will allow children to steep themselves in the rich tradition of the nation while the matador in the middle is steeping himself in something else.  Naturally this excellent means of handing down tradition from father to deeply traumatised son has met with opposition from critics who claim it could psychologically damage young children.  I would hope so!  If the sight of someone apparently dressed like a runner up in Rupaul's Drag Race pirouetting around a sandy arena hacking at a large domestic animal with a sword doesn't psychologically damage an eight year old then they must be pretty badly screwed up already.

I don't think we should worry too much about the psychological damage to the children.  No doubt it will be profound but let's face it, everything psychologically damages children.  It's called growing up.  Children come out of the womb fresh, unblemished and without a care in the world.  They are then promptly subjected to a barrage of abuse which ends, hopefully, many decades later when the gibbering wreck they have become finally falls into what must by now be a much longed for grave.  But what are we to do about that?  Keep children in a state of sensory deprivation until they reach maturity?  Now that would psychologically damage them to say nothing of rendering the hoped for achievement of maturity less likely.  Maturity is basically defined as "functional despite the damage".

But back to the bullfighting.  I have to admit there must be more efficient ways of traumatising children.  Whereas you or I if we wanted to introduce our offspring to gratuitous animal slaughter would simply provide them with a chainsaw and send them to the local petting zoo the Spanish feel the need to arrange free tickets to the bullfighting thus presumably reducing the number of tickets available to paying customers. Here is where tradition rears its ugly head.  If something is old, stupid, at least potentially violent and largely unnecessary the chances are that it is traditional.  Although to be fair that's a pretty good definition of me.  Possibly I am traditional.  It's difficult to find another reason for keeping me around.

Maintaining tradition is generally considered a good thing.  I'm not entirely sure why.  The greatest thing about the past in my opinion it its healthy distance from where we are right now.  Tradition is also subjective.  One person's cherished tradition it another person's atrocity.  To prove that let me demonstrate with that most harmless and sweet of traditions; Father Christmas.  St Nick circles the world bringing presents to all good boys and girls, what could be sweeter?  Now tell me exactly how many of you would actually be comfortable with the idea of an ageing man sneaking into your house to groom your children with presents?

Bullfighting is as Spanish as bullfighting.  Free tickets for the kiddies may encourage them to learn more about their proud nation's rich history and vibrant culture (or possibly vibrant history and rich culture) or it may just turn them into mini psychopaths.  For those of us without a culture of bullfighting we're just going to have to install CCTV in the abattoirs.