Estrella Morente made a mistake last night at the Operación Triunfo gala when she made a statement in favor of bullfighting during her performance of "Volver" with Nia. While Enrique Morente's daughter rose to fame with this song (in 2006 thanks to Pedro Almodóvar's film of the same name), we shouldn't forget that the tango's original composer is Carlos Gardel . And hopefully, the controversy will end there.
Estrella Morente was wrong because OT is broadcast on a public television channel which, as such, should remain neutral on issues of this nature. And that was the intention: neither TVE nor the production company of Operación Triunfo knew before the live broadcast of the sixth gala of OT that Estrella Morente (married to bullfighter Javier Conde) was going to make such a defense of bullfighting. An unacceptable lack of respect.
Neither the bullfighter kills the bull, nor the bull kills the bullfighter
Neither the bullfighter kills the bull, nor the bullfighter kills the bull, nor does the bull kill the bullfighter, both risk their lives in the same random game. don't traffic with his soul, don't traffic with his soul, don't spare the life of the brave bull in the bullring, which is a 'cowardly killer'. Steal his death from the bull, alone and in his agony.
Verses by José Bergamín sung by Estrella Morente at the OT gala on February 23, 2020
Neither the bullfighter kills the bull nor the bull kills the bullfighter? Excuse me? There's no need to delve into statistics about the percentage of bullfights that end with the animal surviving. Let's get to the basics: no, the bull and the bullfighter are not on equal footing because (do we really need to say it?) the bullfighter has a choice, but the bull doesn't. There's very little chance involved in the game, Estrella. Nobody gives the bull the option of not risking his life in the ring, Estrella.
The one you've messed up, Maialen, with your criticism of bullfighting
This is what happens when you introduce the randomness and showmanship of a reality show into a public broadcaster : the distortion of logic and common sense. In theory, this intro by Morente defending bullfighting was a response to the spontaneous words of one of the contestants, Maialen, who was very critical of bullfighting. This is what she said on a program that, let's remember, is broadcast live 24 hours a day:
“Hosts, it is that it is very Nazi. Oysters you have to be very psychopathic a lot », he said. And later he added. «And on top of that they come to you and tell you that he gives a lot of money. I don't know the figures because I don't know them, but if you make a comparison of what bullfighting costs me, cleaning up shit to be able to support my life and they take money from me and put it into the bloody bullfighting, because they take it from my taxes",
Maialen has the right to express her opinion; Estrella does not. Maialen has agreed to be part of a setup that, for a few months, has free rein to record and broadcast everything the young woman says and does inside the academy where she lives isolated from the world. A significant part of OT's appeal (as an audiovisual business) lies in showcasing the diverse personalities of the contestants who come together for the competition.
Estrella Morente , for her part, has agreed to perform a song and appear in person for a few minutes on a live television program. All that was asked of her was that she sing and, perhaps, offer words of encouragement to the contestants. But let no one be mistaken: the bullfighting mess is undoubtedly a win -win for everyone.
Estrella Morente gets publicity. TVE, OT, and its production company, Gestmusic Endemol Shine, get ratings and a media frenzy. Any criticism of the public broadcaster's violation of neutrality is preemptively defeated by the statements of Tinet Rubira , director of the show's production company: "It caught us completely by surprise." The biggest loser, as always: common sense. Everyone wins with this move, and the only one who continues to lose (and die) is the bull.
It's all for the show. The show must go on.
Not Calamari.