Comedy performances can be offensive depending on the crowd. Spain’s parliament banned comical bullfighting events that shine the spotlight on dwarves dressed in costumes. The decision was met with mixed opinions as disability rights groups are expressing their support for the ban while performers are outraged by the ban of a long-standing practice.
Dwarves bullfighting in Spain is a traditional sport that has taken place for decades where performers are dressed as clowns and firefighters to chase bulls without killing them. The public spectacle is executed with a lighthearted spirit and is meant to be funny for the audience.
Even though it’s not done as a mockery, the audience on the other side can still be disturbed by the show. The Spanish performances will be on hold in the near future since a recent law was approved to forbid the events on the basis of discrimination against disabled people.
“We have overcome the Spain of the past,” Jesús Martín, the Director General of Spain’s Royal Board on Disabilities, said. “People with dwarfism were subjected to mockery in public squares in our country, passing down the idea that it is okay to laugh at difference to so many girls and boys who go with adults to see these shameful performances.”
Performers, who depend on the shows for their livelihood, are frustrated with the law amendment. This change is bullshit in their eyes where they protest that lawmakers are viewing the show from the wrong angle. They believe dwarves are being praised rather than ridiculed and activists are overlooking the admiration that people feel for the performers.
“They take it for granted that people are being denigrated or laughed at and it’s the opposite: the respect they have for us is impressive,” Daniel Calderón, a dwarf bullfighter, said.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/spain-dwarf-bullfighting-ban-disability-85417812921ce9b01c07c8388e380a64