From Bullfighting To Rodeos: Culture Shock In Spain

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris. For years, animal rights groups in Europe have tried to get Spain to ban bullfighting. Now, American rodeo promoters are offering an alternative. Dozens of America's top rodeo cowboys have taken their show to Europe. The tour is starting at Spanish bullfighting rings. Jerome Socolovsky went out to a show to see how the rodeo was playing in Spain.

(Soundbite of rodeo)

(Soundbite of music)

JEROME SOCOLOVSKY: A bilingual emcee tries to fire up the crowd in the municipal bullring of Guadalajara, a small city near Madrid.

(Soundbite of motorcycles)

SOCOLOVSKY: Out come the Harley-Davidsons with Miss Rodeos waving the stars and stripes, and then the cowboys rope steer and ride broncos as the high decibel sound system shakes the foundations of the arena. Here in the bull ring, you normally find crowds watching in silence as matadors face down bulls in a fight to the death. This is something completely different, and it sure is a culture shock for many of the people here. An elderly lady with a perfect hairdo sits primly, clutching a purse on her lap.

Ms. JOSEFINA PALAFOX: (Spanish spoken).

SOCOLOVSKY: This is very odd, says Josefina Palafox, who didn't plan to be here. She and a senior friend were just out for an evening stroll.

Ms. PALAFOX: (Spanish spoken).

SOCOLOVSKY: And we saw the commotion and decided to see what it was all about, she says. It's very American, she adds, and we like it. Well, not quite. The friend, Conchita Ruza, is not so keen.

Ms. CONCHITA RUZA: (Spanish spoken).

SOCOLOVSKY: I'll stick to the bullfights, she says. They're a lot nicer.

Ms. RUZA: (Spanish spoken).

SOCOLOVSKY: First of all, you don't have all this racket. Secondly, the bull is a beautiful animal. And lastly, she says, I'm Spanish.

(Soundbite of rodeo)

Unidentified Man #1: (Spanish spoken)

Unidentified Woman: Yeehaw.

Unidentified Man #1: Yeah. (Unintelligible).

(Soundbite of cheering)

SOCOLOVSKY: The crowd enthusiastically takes part in a yeehaw contest. But outside the ring, there's been criticism of the rodeo. One commentator in El Mundo newspaper argued that rodeos in Spain are as culturally misplaced as recent efforts to bring bullfighting to the U.S. Still, these rodeos celebrate a facet of Americana that European cultural snobs love to sneer at: the flag-waving, the country music, and everywhere, there are cowboys in 10-gallon hats.

Hi, how you doing?

Mr. MIKE BEERS (Team Roper): Good, how are you?

SOCOLOVSKY: My name's Jerome Socolovsky. I'm with National Public Radio in the U.S.

Mr. BEERS: Oh, cool. Mike Beers from Oregon. I'm a world champion team roper from the States, and I come over here for the month we're over here.

SOCOLOVSKY: He thinks the rodeo will be a hit in Spain. Increasing numbers of people tell pollsters here that they feel queasy about bulls being killed in the ring.

Mr. BEERS: You know, they're used to seeing the bull, when they get done with him here, they drag him out on a sled. We rope the steer by the feet here. We get done with him, he jumps up and runs out of the arena. The crowd loves it.

Unidentified Children: (Shouting) Yeehaw.

SOCOLOVSKY: These children are more accustomed to shouting ole at bullfighters, but 10-year-old Alba Perez says she loves animals and now prefers the rodeo.

Ms. ALBA PEREZ: (Spanish spoken).

SOCOLOVSKY: Because they do more stuff, she says, and they don't kill the bull.

(Soundbite of music)

SOCOLOVSKY: The rodeo may have its origins in the American West at a time when it belonged to Spain, but this spectacle couldn't be more un-Spanish, and that's a big part of its appeal here.

For NPR News, I'm Jerome Socolovsky in Guadalajara, Spain.

(Soundbite of music)

Unidentified Man #2: (Singing) (Unintelligible). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.