Today as we are still thinking about our New Year’s resolutions, I wanted to talk about change.

I remember when a photo of former bullfighter Álvaro Múnera spread across the internet.  The photo featured the bullfighter crying with his head bowed down in shame as a bull looks on.  The story that accompanied the photo described how Álvaro Múnera had to quit his profession of bullfighting after he couldn’t get the gentle creature to attack him in that fight.  Pretty inspiring stuff, right?  A young man at perhaps the height of his career decides to change for something he believes in.  The problem is that the story is apparently fake. Múnera never quit midway through a fight and in fact left the sport only after being paralyzed.

But maybe it isn’t all bullshit.  Álvaro Múnera is now is an advocate for getting rid of the sport and even claims he wanted to quit before his injury.  He once had to kill a heifer that was pregnant.  He describes in gruesome detail about seeing the exposed fetus and how it made him vomit and subsequently cry.  I feel like Múnera’s description shows enough brutality (perhaps more) to change enough people’s minds.  The only problem is that it’s hard to shake that first lie.  I’m sure Álvaro Múnera wasn’t the one who initially spread the viral photo, but now his credibility is questioned because of it.  Many people still don’t believe that he really cares and only believe that he quit due to the injury that left him in a wheelchair and killed his friend.  I suppose it also hurts you credence.  When you post it is your duty to also check facts.  When I originally drew this cartoon a year ago I imagined writing about the great bullfighter Álvaro Múnera and when he called out No Mas.  I suppose it’s a good thing I looked up the truth.  I would’ve hated to present fact that simply are not true.  I’m sometimes afraid to post anything on my blog.  I did research, but even the evidence I found I can’t be sure that it is true.

The only thing I feel sure about is this:  We need to change as a society.  We need to look at evidence.  We need to stop and think rationally.  We need to explore ideas and see what the possibilities are.  And we should stop bullfights.