yyy

On Sun, 5 Mar 2000, gordon wrote:

>
> Remember your gender as you write, and you may see that your own opinions
> reflect my point. :-)

Is it my gender or my culture?

Those opinions are shared by the hunters I know,
both male and female.  See "In Defense of Hunting"
by James Swan for a good discussion of the subject.

>
> Spanish bullfights could be a modern manifestation of this inherited male
> trait that I hypothesize. Men cheer and revel as they watch the male matador
> slay the beast. This fascination is perhaps a genetic trait inherited from
> our HG ancestors.

If it is, it must be linked with some other trait as
bullfighting is a poor way to hunt.  It's also likely
to be recent - you need domesticated cattle for it.
<laugh> I just had an image of a Cape buffalo in the
ring.  Likely the matador would become a greasy smear
in the dirt in rapid order.

The hunting of dangerous game evokes powerful emotions.
To try to kill something that could easily kill you is
intense.  Perhaps that is the point of bullfighting.
The matador is facing his own mortality and conquering
it.  The audience is living that experience vicariously.
An audience of men because "that's not for girls.  Be a
good girl now and be nice."

>
> I don't believe the peculiar sport of bullfighting is nearly so popular with
> the ladies, however, except in so much as the matador himself may be
> sexually appealing for reasons also inherited from our HG ancestors.

Oh I don't know.  Those costumes they wear are just
too silly.

Maybe if they wore loincloths...

Julie