Woodward: Manolete

Sixty-two years ago today, in the Spanish town of Linares, the man who was probably the greatest bullfighter of all time was killed by a bull which he had, in turn, just mortally wounded.

Few cultural totems of Western civilization challenge political correctness more than bullfighting. Being appalled by it (or pretending to be) is one of the cheaper ways of establishing one's moral refinement nowadays -- more surefire even than professing an abhorrence of boxing, and certainly more welcome at cocktail parties than voicing any ethical scruples regarding abortion or assisted suicide.

Bullfighting is not sport but ritual, which goes a long way towards explaining why it's not understood -- let alone appreciated -- by the modern world.