running with the "bull"

The other night I was sitting with a girlfriend of mine talking about a variety of topics and we naturally wondered into my experiences of backpacking through Europe two summers ago; I told her all the countries I traveled to, as well as the activities and excursions I participated in. I told my friend about ice climbing and bungee jumping in Switzerland, the Anne frank museum in Amsterdam, and Spain winning the Euro cup while I was in Barcelona. But upon reflection this class made me ponder in a way that I never had before about my favorite adventure in Europe. I talked about running with the bulls-- but in a way that had to do with gender and traditional roles. See running with the bulls is an annual tradition in Pamplona Spain each year lasting for a week in July. People flock in from all over the world to experience the tradition, get drunk, party and tempt fate by running with the bulls hung over and with no sleep. It was a roll of the dice that I soon wont forget and never regret. Upon telling my girlfriend about my adventure shot me back to right before they released the bulls and we all stupidly squeezed on to a crowded street running for our lives from two ton beasts. I remember the police officers were finding any reason to kick people out of the over crowded area. You took a picture , you were out; you were drinking you were out. Everyone was on edge and didn’t want to do anything to keep them from partaking in this adrenaline junkies wet dream. When I looked around at the people around me I saw a couple guys saying “keep your head down! Its almost time” and a young lady saying “Is my hair sticking out of my hat?” when I glanced around I realized aside from this single girl I was surrounded by all men. I asked her friend and the yong girl “ what are girls not allowed to run with the bulls, they said “no its not allowed” he said “if the police see me they will kick me out, its against tradition.” At the time I didn’t think much of it other than thinking it was bad ass that a girl snuck in and concealed her gender to run with the bulls. But after taking this class and reminiscing on my Pamplona experience I had that “ahahh moment” when I thought of things in context to equality, sexism and male privilege. Now granted guy or girl running with the bulls is probably a bad idea. But why couldn’t girls be just as dumb as the guys and roll the dice on fate and elusiveness? Why were the girls allowed to party all night but were forced to watch the big tough guys go “grab the bull by the horns”? Was it because girls were too slow, fragile, or likely to get trampled by the flood of men running for there lives? Because I saw many guys get trampled in the wake; why didn’t a female have the right to suffer the same fate or run her tail off out of self preservation like the rest of us were? I think it comes from an old cultural ideology of tradition and protecting small delicate women from the mans ceremony which consisted of running down a blocked off street hoping not to get gored from behind from a herd of bulls. I thought and still think that its pretty cool the female took the necessary steps to be able to run with the bulls; I think women should be able to run right along with the guys; but with that said I will then push then see no difference between them and the guy I pushed to the ground to avoid having a date with a bulls horn in my backside and id expect them to do the same. I think that’s fair and equal to have all of us be able to roll the dice on fate and truly grab the bull by the horns.

Ryan Adams

tues thurs 9.30 women in sports class