The “bad” Bull

Why is the bull the bad guy? Why is it being killed?

So many questions little Amelia had as she watched the movie with her father. It wasn’t adding up in her head and when the movie ended and her father tucked her sleeping figure into bed he couldn’t help but feel like he failed her as he couldn’t give a valid answer to her questions.

As he leaned on the door watching his little sleep he became overwhelmed with emotion. She was right of course why was the bull the bad guy it was the one provoked, the one being marked and played with, used for the amusement of others.

Amelia’s father Jacob went to bed that night pondering that question and as he lay next to his wife he said it out loud

“Honey… Why is the bull the bad guy?”

“What” responded his wife Emily

“I just…today Amelia and I were watching this movie with the bull and the matadors and she asked me but I didn’t know what to say”

“Oh I see you are getting into these Pixar movies”

“ haha but seriously honey”

“Okay okay I mean honestly I had asked that same question when I was younger,” said Emily putting down her book. Turning towards Jacob she continued

“ When I was younger some of my favorite movies included bulls and two of them were the book of life and Ferdinand. Watching these movies repeatedly answered my question. The bull is the bad guy because of his appearance. He is seen as the bad guy because that is how society depicts his image. As I watched these movies and thought more about them, I realized I was so into them because I saw myself in them. In this world oftentimes the bad guy is a label one gets not because of what they have actually done but instead it’s based on what they look like and what others assume they are capable of doing. You know about that just as much as me. Babe we are also the bad guy and all we had to do was fit the description that they created. All we did was have skin with a color that was deemed bad”

Jacob looked at his wife as she spoke so full of passion and couldn’t help but be amazed and filled with gratitude. “You’re right… I never really thought about it like that wow these kid movies have some big meanings” he replied chuckling

Emily looked at him smiling “yea sorry if that was a deeper answer than you were looking for”

“No it’s fine. I agree but how do I tell Amelia that babe I mean it’s tough”

Emily sighed “you’re right but if we don’t tell her the outside world will. Just tell her the bull isn’t necessarily the bad guy he is just painted as one and in this world sometimes we happen to be born into this image of the bad guy. It isn’t fair but as long as she remembers that it is our actions that define us not our appearance I think it will be okay ”

Jacob nodded and finally responded “thanks honey now let’s get some sleep before I become a bad guy in the morning”

Laughing Emily nodded and closed the lights. Snuggling close to her husband she couldn’t help but smile. Life as the bad guy wasn’t so bad after all.