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Blood Brothers

April 19, 2009 2:55 PM

Matador Cayetano Ordonez faces death when he's battered by a bull, as Bob Simon reports about him and his brother Francisco - Spain's remarkable bullfighting brothers.

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by ikwitz October 20, 2008 12:28 AM PDT
Quoting Bob Simon:
"Many parts of Madrid take you back many centuries. But don%u2019t be fooled, Spain is one of the most modern and progressive countries in Europe. Half of the cabinet members here are women including the defense ministers. There%u2019s gay marriage, quickie divorces, and legalized abortion. All that and then you have the ancient and archaic bloodsport of bull fighting. How do you put it all together? It%u2019s not easy."

Is this how we meausre modern and progressive? Is this the litmus test?
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by ferratermora October 20, 2008 2:06 AM PDT
I find your glorification of bullfighting disgusting. The bull is simply tortured. I will no longer watch 60 minutes. Many people in Spain also find bullfighting repulsive.
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by October 20, 2008 3:33 AM PDT
One thing is certain: Spaniards are indeed brave and courageous. Unlike the spoiled whiny suburban brats that have posted below.
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by cstickney1 October 20, 2008 12:44 PM PDT
I am apalled that you would give legitimacy to this blood sport by airing this piece. Attributing such atrocity to a cultural norm simply isnt acceptable and this is the last time I''ll watch your show.
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by barbl223 October 20, 2008 1:29 PM PDT
No matter what we Americans may think of bull Fighting, it has been a sport in Spain for centuries. Our feelings are not going to change their ideas on the sport.
I do know one thing for sure, is those boys are great looking!!
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by tonyd1579 October 20, 2008 1:45 PM PDT
for people to judge the spanish on their culture is a joke ok you might think the bull is tortured but the bull is going to die at least the animal has the chance to fight back unlike all the beef this country eats that are kept in pens and then killed so if you think bullfighting is torture i really hope you dont eat beef
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by antoniomart1 October 20, 2008 2:10 PM PDT
I am a Spaniard. I find bufffighting a disgusting activity and I hope it will be permanently banned in a not too distant future. Many Spaniards feel like I do. In the first 6 months of 2008 there have been 37% less bullfight in Andalucma, 44% less in Seville, where this is supposed to be more popular. There are economic and political factors at play but eventually this barbarous habit will stop being an embarashment for all Spaniards.
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by October 20, 2008 3:56 PM PDT
To antoniomart1: How else does one judge a people fairly if not by their culture? Especially when the practice is unique, violent and so pervasive. Also I''m not sure the bull can really "fight back" as there is no possibility that the animal will be allowed to survive the ring. Cows and other animals around the world are killed for their meat, but hopefully are not first tortured, and, perhaps more importantly for the country as a part of the it''s culture, the executioner is not celebrated and considered a heroic figure.
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by October 20, 2008 4:11 PM PDT
To: BarbL223
I not sure child sexual abuse is acceptable simply because it has existed for more centuries than bullfighting and I don''t think the perpetrators would be considered blameless no matter how "great looking!!" they are.
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by rlwtoreria October 20, 2008 4:36 PM PDT
For those that are misinformed, some facts:

1. Fighting bulls live betweeen 4 and 5 years on very large open range ranches. They are worth a lot of money and live an ideal life before going to the bullring. They have a much better life than domestic cattle that live 9-14 months in tight pens and are fattened up for the slaughter.

2. The bulls ALWAYS go for meat directly after the bullfight. It is hardy meat (not tender veal), but the meat is ALWAYS sold to the butcher directly after the bullfight and is ALWAYS consumed by people.

3. When a bull performs exceptionally well the audience can petition to have the animal spared. It will then go back to the ranch and be a stud bull with a harem of 50 cows for the rest of its life.

4. Without the bullfight the entire race of the fighting bull (toro de lidia) would become extinct. This bull is a completely different breed of animal than domestic cattle. It is a beautiful, majestic and wild animal. The bullfight guarantees this animal''s preservation. Ban the bullfight and we lose this species.

5. There are bullfights in Spain, France, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. It has especially grown in popularity in France in the last few decades as there are hundreds of events in hundreds of bullrings every season in France. Portugal also has bullfights but the bull is not killed in the ring in front of the audience, it is killed 5 minutes afterwards in the corrals and then goes for meat.



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by reportera October 20, 2008 4:53 PM PDT
This piece lacks balance. A simple line at the beginning about how people oppose bull fighting is worthless in a 13 min. piece. There was plenty of time to present the controversy over the so-called "sport" and still profile the brothers. It''s very disappointing to see 60 Minutes journalists fall in love with subjects to the point of not being objective.
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by talleysilver October 20, 2008 5:38 PM PDT
As a Spanish teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece on bullfighting. One must realize this is truly a part of the Spanish culture and is one that gives the bull a fighting chance. It is a difficult art form and it amazes me how some people are so upset about these animals that are bred for the bullring. These young men do have bullfighting in their blood and I can see why they are national heroes. So many unique parts of a country''s culture simply die out because the younger generations won''t follow the traditions. I am glad these educated young men have chosen to follow in the family traditions though I pray they stay safe. I wish I could have a copy of this piece to show my students. Thanks! Even when I do not agree with a piece will i stop watching 60 minutes!!
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by penzelda October 20, 2008 6:41 PM PDT
re the fluff piece on bullfighting!

To think that there is any glamour or saving grace, any justification whatsoever for the senseless torture and slaughter of an animal is a sad commentary on those fanatics who are totally desensitized, ignorant and uniformed about what goes into the preparation of the bulls for the horrific ordeal of the bullfight. Like so many other entertainment industries that exploit animals (rodeos, circuses, dolphin parks, traveling zoos) their revealing comments concerning tradition or bull-fighting as an "art", demonstrate a total lack of compassion and of understanding that this is a cruel and abusive industry that is laughing all the way to the bank! This is all about self-serving, fame and glory seekers and, of course, the big bucks! There is no merit in keeping a tradition of animal torture alive. It''s time to bury this one in the dustbin of history.
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by elisiya October 21, 2008 8:12 AM PDT
About 70% of spanish population isn4t interested in bullfighting. I4m from Spain and this report makes me sad.I wish american viewers don4t think that spaniards are proud of this people. They are killers, they live with blood in their hands. In spain there is a political party against the animal maltreatment including bulls, it is called PACMA (www.pacma.es)
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by elisiya October 21, 2008 8:19 AM PDT
About 70% of spanish population isn4t interested in bullfighting. I4m from Spain and this report makes me sad.I wish american viewers don4t think that spaniards are proud of this people. They are killers, they live with blood in their hands. In spain there is a political party against the animal maltreatment including bulls, it is called PACMA (www.pacma.es)
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by elisiya October 21, 2008 8:20 AM PDT
About 70% of spanish population isn4t interested in bullfighting. I4m from Spain and this report makes me sad.I wish american viewers don4t think that spaniards are proud of this people. They are killers, they live with blood in their hands. In spain there is a political party against the animal maltreatment including bulls, it is called PACMA (www.pacma.es)
Reply to this comment
by elisiya October 21, 2008 8:25 AM PDT
About 70% of spanish population isn4t interested in bullfighting. I4m from Spain and this report makes me sad.I wish american viewers don4t think that spaniards are proud of this people. They are killers, they live with blood in their hands. In spain there is a political party against the animal maltreatment including bulls, it is called PACMA (www.pacma.es)
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by tulleh-2009 October 21, 2008 11:20 AM PDT
I couldn''t watch this piece, after seeing the bullfighting scenes in the trailer. Bullfighting is nothing more than the cruel torture of an animal to death in a public spectacle. Those who support it for "cultural" reasons must be capable of extreme denial. Perhaps "Ferdinand the Bull", by Munro Leaf, should be required reading in the schools of countries where it is practiced. One can only hope that enlightenment about animals will lead to future generations looking back on bullfighting as an outlawed event, a bleak blip in human history.
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by laiatena October 21, 2008 12:09 PM PDT
It is a shame to see how they are described almost as heroes. It is a shame that people awe such killers of innocent animals raised to be killed.
Only in some areas of Spain is this cruel killing popular, most of the population is not proud but ashamed of this tradition, and there have been many demonstrations in many cities against that.
Whenever I see those killers in the "arena" ready to torture the bull, I wish the bull gets them, so at least they can give some of their suffering back to the torturer.
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by kristen243 October 21, 2008 2:47 PM PDT
People who criticize the corrida do not know the corrida. It is not in fact a sport in Spain. If you wish to check the local newspaper, the corrida is in the "Cultura" section. It is in fact a celebration of life, and the matadores themselves talk about this rejuvenation of life in the story. Thank you rlwtoreria for the clarification. There are a host of books out there on the corrida, and perhaps those who do not understand the tradition could do a little more research (or perhaps even travel there to understand the wonderful Spanish people!). Thank you 60 minutes for the positive side to the corrida.
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by mpbryk October 22, 2008 7:57 AM PDT
the unfair part is to tire the bull so much. lets see what happens when both are fresh. 1300 lbs of pure mean before it is weak vs a so called ''maestro'' would be a reasonable test....dont you think?
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by kyamays April 19, 2009 5:23 PM PDT
I can't understand how people can watch this sport. What pleasure do they get out of watching an animal tortured?
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