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Cowboy pinball? American stupidity reaches new heights


MercyA
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Apparently this is a thing. A $100 bill is tied to a bull. Someone "gets the bull angry" and then lets him out into an arena, where volunteers try to stay in their assigned circles and grab the money.

 

I have ZERO sympathy for people who get hurt doing this. If you decide to taunt a large animal for entertainment, you deserve what you get. And the people who kneel down and pray after people get knocked unconscious and gored...I suppose it shouldn't bother me, but I find it really offensive for some reason.

Obviously this kind of thing makes me a little bitter [shaking my fist].

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That is just sick. You can see that the first bull they put in there was clearly distraught and kept running to the exit gate trying to get out. They kept shooing him away from the gate and trying to get him to chase people, but he was just desperate to get the heck out of there. So then they obviously made sure the second bull was super riled up to make a better "show" — and the nitwit who was injured was literally waving his hands like "come at me bro." Too bad the bull didn't knock all of them over like bowling pins, maybe that would be the end of this stupid "game." 🤬 

Edited by Corraleno
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Preach it, @Corraleno. It is really sick and disturbing and cruel. 😡

@Selkie, I'd be happy to see almost all rodeo events outlawed: calf roping, mutton "busting," steer wrestling, bull riding, goat tying....the list goes on. It seems to be all about chasing and dominating and terrorizing animals for fun. I don't have much of a problem with barrel racing as long as there's no abuse. 

I live in the Midwest and have more than one rodeo performer in my family, so I do know a little about it.

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6 minutes ago, maize said:

Who

volunteers

to 

stand

still

while

a

bull

charges?!?

A larger than expected portion of my patient population would, if given half a chance. 

“Hey y’all! Watch this” and “Hold my beer” are not mere anecdotal sayings in my neck of the woods. 

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I wonder what the psychological mechanism is that makes people want to do this.  Maybe there's not enough danger in everyday modern life for some people, or some parts of the culture, who in previous millennia (certainly the vast vast VAAASSST portion of human history) experienced more physical danger, uncertainty, scarcity, adrenaline, all of it, than pretty much anyone separate of a few professions does today.

It would be a useful gene/inclination to have in a population (someone's gotta go try to kill the lion that's been terrorizing your sheep or the cobra that's been slithering around your campground, I guess) but maybe not a great one to have individually, unless you are also lucky or skilled.

Because there's no real natural way to get this experience, especially on the cheap, it has to be manufactured (that is to say, instead of chasing around an actual dangerous or tasty animal, they have to find one, piss him off, put him in a little caged area, and hope for mayhem).

 

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I wonder how many people in the arena actually get it...as in know how big and unpredictable those animals are.

We have black Angus, which are comparatively calm animals. And we still never enter the field where the bull is without thinking "Where is that dude...what's he doing. Let's leave him alone." It'd have to be a cold day where the boogey man lives before any of mine would get in the arena with those Brahman bulls. They're nuts. They;re bred to be nuts. And they're huge. 

That's absurd. Who thought that was a good idea?

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10 minutes ago, moonflower said:

...It would be a useful gene/inclination to have in a population (someone's gotta go try to kill the lion that's been terrorizing your sheep or the cobra that's been slithering around your campground, I guess) but maybe not a great one to have individually, unless you are also lucky or skilled....


That makes sense.  I've read the same thing about personality disorders.  That in a much earlier culture, each would have had a use.  

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15 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I wonder how many people in the arena actually get it...as in know how big and unpredictable those animals are.

We have black Angus, which are comparatively calm animals. And we still never enter the field where the bull is without thinking "Where is that dude...what's he doing. Let's leave him alone." It'd have to be a cold day where the boogey man lives before any of mine would get in the arena with those Brahman bulls. They're nuts. They;re bred to be nuts. And they're huge. 

That's absurd. Who thought that was a good idea?

That's what I think, too. I don't think they're looking to put their lives on the line for a cheap thrill, I think they're stupid enough to think this isn't all that dangerous, and hey, they might win the $100 prize! The dude who gets tossed like a ragdoll literally squared up against the bull, motioned "come get me," and made no attempt at all to get out of the way!

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2 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

I wonder how many people in the arena actually get it...as in know how big and unpredictable those animals are.

We have black Angus, which are comparatively calm animals. And we still never enter the field where the bull is without thinking "Where is that dude...what's he doing. Let's leave him alone." It'd have to be a cold day where the boogey man lives before any of mine would get in the arena with those Brahman bulls. They're nuts. They;re bred to be nuts. And they're huge. 

That's absurd. Who thought that was a good idea?

I don't know much about different breeds of bulls. Are the Brahman bulls bred for rodeos, specifically?

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We’ve been to rodeos a couple of times.  It’s not my thing but friends and cattle farmers invited us and the rest of the fam wanted to go.  I think most of the activities have their origin in farming practice from large stations/ranches where roping calves, getting up close and handling bulls etc was a part of life and a necessary one.  In the same way that firefighters might do a stair climb challenge or whatever - it’s about developing and showing actual skills used in actual jobs. Many of the activities are less relevant to modern farming but that said - if you eat farmed meat you are probably contributing at some point to worse cruelty than anything that happens at an average rodeo.  Just being really frank.  

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8 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2017-10-20/the-strict-diet-and-exercise-regime-of-a-rodeo-bull/9052806

for a bit more on rodeo bulls.  I’m not saying it’s all okay but in comparison to the life for many meat cattle or even dairy cows it’s not too bad.

I have no doubt that bulls currently being used in performances are well fed and exercised. The same likely goes for pit bulls or roosters used for fighting--or even for human gladiators, for that matter, centuries ago! The preparation doesn't make the event any more humane or moral--to my mind it almost makes it worse. Here, let us take good care of you, so that when we use you for our entertainment, when we shock you with cattle prods and deliberately anger you and send you out in front of a screaming crowd--you will perform better for us.

You mentioned calf roping, which is particularly cruel. Babies are chased, violently roped--which can break their bones--and slammed to the ground, terrified, where they are sat on and tied up by men who evidently think they are doing something impressive. 

From http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2016/02/rodeo-cruelty-forget-the-myth/:

"Today’s rodeos bear little resemblance to ranch work where care was taken to not injure animals. Modern rodeos are nothing more than western-themed circuses with contestants wearing John Wayne costumes and racing against the clock in a cruel spectacle for cash prizes...Anyone with a heart knows it’s wrong to clothesline a baby animal, body slam it to the ground, tie its legs so it can’t move, and drag it by the neck. If this were done to a puppy or kitten, the offender would understandably be charged with a crime, and likely be jailed."

And yet the crowd applauds.

Many dairy cows have horrible lives, I know. Their babies (whom they love!) are taken away from them every year by force. They are slaughtered 10-15 years before they would ordinarily die. The life of a meat cow also leads to inevitable, early, cruel slaughter. You mentioned factory-farmed meat, and for sure it's steeped in cruelty. I'm a vegetarian and have MAD respect for those who are vegans. 

Maybe rodeo bulls have a better life, in some respects--but the lesser of two evils is still evil, unfortunately.

I'm not trying to criticize you, personally--as you said, you weren't saying it was all okay. But I think in America, at least, rodeo is something people don't think about enough. So I'm going to stand on my soapbox when I have the opportunity.

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The ethics of rodeos aside, that just can't be that common. Imagine the liability! No matter what you made those people sign before participating! 

Also, I'd lay odds that those folks have never spent much time around a bull. Idiot city men dressed up like cowboys. What ding-dongs.

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1 hour ago, MercyA said:

I have no doubt that bulls currently being used in performances are well fed and exercised. The same likely goes for pit bulls or roosters used for fighting--or even for human gladiators, for that matter, centuries ago! The preparation doesn't make the event any more humane or moral--to my mind it almost makes it worse. Here, let us take good care of you, so that when we use you for our entertainment, when we shock you with cattle prods and deliberately anger you and send you out in front of a screaming crowd--you will perform better for us.

You mentioned calf roping, which is particularly cruel. Babies are chased, violently roped--which can break their bones--and slammed to the ground, terrified, where they are sat on and tied up by men who evidently think they are doing something impressive. 

From http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2016/02/rodeo-cruelty-forget-the-myth/:

"Today’s rodeos bear little resemblance to ranch work where care was taken to not injure animals. Modern rodeos are nothing more than western-themed circuses with contestants wearing John Wayne costumes and racing against the clock in a cruel spectacle for cash prizes...Anyone with a heart knows it’s wrong to clothesline a baby animal, body slam it to the ground, tie its legs so it can’t move, and drag it by the neck. If this were done to a puppy or kitten, the offender would understandably be charged with a crime, and likely be jailed."

And yet the crowd applauds.

Many dairy cows have horrible lives, I know. Their babies (whom they love!) are taken away from them every year by force. They are slaughtered 10-15 years before they would ordinarily die. The life of a meat cow also leads to inevitable, early, cruel slaughter. You mentioned factory-farmed meat, and for sure it's steeped in cruelty. I'm a vegetarian and have MAD respect for those who are vegans. 

Maybe rodeo bulls have a better life, in some respects--but the lesser of two evils is still evil, unfortunately.

I'm not trying to criticize you, personally--as you said, you weren't saying it was all okay. But I think in America, at least, rodeo is something people don't think about enough. So I'm going to stand on my soapbox when I have the opportunity.

Have you actually watched it?  Your description is nothing at all like the calf roping we saw.  Obviously I only have one experience but a couple of kids that were 11 ran out - flicked a rope which landed neatly against the neck of the animal who then quietly trotted out of the ring.  Maybe they do things differently in the US

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38 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Have you actually watched it?  Your description is nothing at all like the calf roping we saw.  Obviously I only have one experience but a couple of kids that were 11 ran out - flicked a rope which landed neatly against the neck of the animal who then quietly trotted out of the ring.  Maybe they do things differently in the US

It's done by grown men on horseback and it's pretty freaking violent. Watch this video, if you can stomach it: besides nearly breaking the poor baby's neck, he broke it's leg, and proceeded to tie the legs together anyway. The calf is left there writhing in pain, dragged by it's neck, and is eventually hauled out of the arena, still tied up, in the back of a truck.

http://www.sharkonline.org/index.php/rodeo-events/681-calf-roping-the-most-cowardly-rodeo-event

Edited by Corraleno
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2 hours ago, MercyA said:

"Today’s rodeos bear little resemblance to ranch work where care was taken to not injure animals. Modern rodeos are nothing more than western-themed circuses with contestants wearing John Wayne costumes and racing against the clock in a cruel spectacle for cash prizes...Anyone with a heart knows it’s wrong to clothesline a baby animal, body slam it to the ground, tie its legs so it can’t move, and drag it by the neck. If this were done to a puppy or kitten, the offender would understandably be charged with a crime, and likely be jailed."

 

Rodeos are explicitly exempt from animal cruelty laws. 🤬🤬🤬

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23 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

It's done by grown men on horseback and it's pretty freaking violent. Watch this video, if you can stomach it: besides nearly breaking the poor baby's neck, he broke it's leg, and proceeded to tie the legs together anyway. The calf is left there writhing in pain, dragged by it's neck, and is eventually hauled out of the arena, still tied up, in the back of a truck.

http://www.sharkonline.org/index.php/rodeo-events/681-calf-roping-the-most-cowardly-rodeo-event

Well that is completely different to anything I’ve seen.  That said I’ve only been to rodeo twice and the first time I spent most of the time chasing kids between drinks and toilets.  I know cattle prods aren’t supposed to be used here for rodeos and rodeo is illegal in one state so it’s possible that we are talking about two completely different things.

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I did a quick bit of research and apparently minimum weight for calf roping where we are is 200kg which eliminates the babies.  Also cattle prods are allowed but only for safety purposes and the main rodeo body doesn’t allow them.  A vet legally has to attend all events.  The biggest issues are they still use spurs and flank ropes but supposedly the flank ropes are sheepskin lined and used for stability not agitation.

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8 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

I wonder how many people in the arena actually get it...as in know how big and unpredictable those animals are.

We have black Angus, which are comparatively calm animals. And we still never enter the field where the bull is without thinking "Where is that dude...what's he doing. Let's leave him alone." It'd have to be a cold day where the boogey man lives before any of mine would get in the arena with those Brahman bulls. They're nuts. They;re bred to be nuts. And they're huge. 

That's absurd. Who thought that was a good idea?

We had a bull for a while.  We also had a recycled tire swing in the paddock attached to the pine tree for the kids.  Anyway one day we came home to find that the bull had put his head through and turned so he was caught in the chain with the swing around his neck.  Some very tense moments while dh managed to get him untangled and out of there.  He was always gentle though.

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7 hours ago, MercyA said:

I don't know much about different breeds of bulls. Are the Brahman bulls bred for rodeos, specifically?

Brahman animals are bred and raised for meat because they’re really tough in the heat in particular. They’re also kinda skittish and can be aggressive. We had a brahaman angus cross and she was always a headache to handle. 

They use brahaman crosses because the breed is kinda unpredictable.

and yes they specifically breed for a bull that’s hard to ride.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mercurynews.com/2013/07/16/rodeo-bulls-better-bred-through-science-to-buck-riders/amp/

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1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

We had a bull for a while.  We also had a recycled tire swing in the paddock attached to the pine tree for the kids.  Anyway one day we came home to find that the bull had put his head through and turned so he was caught in the chain with the swing around his neck.  Some very tense moments while dh managed to get him untangled and out of there.  He was always gentle though.

That does sound scary!

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1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/chickens/7645698

To me this feels more disturbing.

I feel like the small family farm method was so kinder to everyone and thing but there’s no turning back.

This is why we do what we do on the farm. I feel really good about our animal products. 

Eggs, beef, pork, chicken...our animals live the lives they were meant to have.

Edited by fairfarmhand
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2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I did a quick bit of research and apparently minimum weight for calf roping where we are is 200kg which eliminates the babies.  Also cattle prods are allowed but only for safety purposes and the main rodeo body doesn’t allow them.  A vet legally has to attend all events.  The biggest issues are they still use spurs and flank ropes but supposedly the flank ropes are sheepskin lined and used for stability not agitation.

Here, they not only use prods but they are electric - so the poor animals are being zapped so they will buck.😞

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I can't think about this topic for very long or I get so mad it feels like my head is going to explode.

I'm a vegan and my belief is that I should not cause pain or misery for any living creature. The rodeo people I know have the exact opposite belief - that it is not only okay, but great fun to hurt animals. I will never understand that.

Several of my horses are former rodeo horses. I swear that one of them has PTSD from his rodeo days because he goes into a panic whenever he sees a cow. Literally, a 1000 pound quarter horse starts quaking at the sight of a baby calf. My guess is that it brings back memories of the chaos and terror and confusion of the rodeo environment. 

 

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4 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Have you actually watched it?  Your description is nothing at all like the calf roping we saw.  Obviously I only have one experience but a couple of kids that were 11 ran out - flicked a rope which landed neatly against the neck of the animal who then quietly trotted out of the ring.  Maybe they do things differently in the US

Yes. One of my siblings competed in rodeos and other family members do now. During one period of my life, watching "sports" in my house usually meant a rodeo was on tv.

The calf roping you saw sounds like a completely different event. There are plenty of calf roping videos on YouTube, if you can stomach them. 😢

Edited by MercyA
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5 hours ago, elroisees said:

The ethics of rodeos aside, that just can't be that common. Imagine the liability! No matter what you made those people sign before participating! 

Also, I'd lay odds that those folks have never spent much time around a bull. Idiot city men dressed up like cowboys. What ding-dongs.

I'm not sure how common it is, but a YouTube search turns up other events. See also "bull bowling."

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2 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Brahman animals are bred and raised for meat because they’re really tough in the heat in particular. They’re also kinda skittish and can be aggressive. We had a brahaman angus cross and she was always a headache to handle. 

They use brahaman crosses because the breed is kinda unpredictable.

and yes they specifically breed for a bull that’s hard to ride.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mercurynews.com/2013/07/16/rodeo-bulls-better-bred-through-science-to-buck-riders/amp/

Very interesting article; thanks. 

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4 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I did a quick bit of research and apparently minimum weight for calf roping where we are is 200kg which eliminates the babies.  Also cattle prods are allowed but only for safety purposes and the main rodeo body doesn’t allow them.  A vet legally has to attend all events.  The biggest issues are they still use spurs and flank ropes but supposedly the flank ropes are sheepskin lined and used for stability not agitation.

Here, the calves used for roping are often only a few months old. At PRCA events, the calf is supposed to weigh 220 to 280 pounds--again still a baby; if raised with their mommas, they'd still be nursing.

Edited by MercyA
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7 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/chickens/7645698

To me this feels more disturbing.

I feel like the small family farm method was so kinder to everyone and thing but there’s no turning back.

It is disturbing. I have high hopes for spectroscopy technology, which scientists have been working on. 

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/spectroscopy-allows-in-egg-chicken-sexing-/2500274.article

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