Strange days indeed: socionomic mood all over the world has some nasty side-effects.

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed
most peculiar. Mama. 

Nobody told me – John Lennon

Although I unfortunately got used to the cruelty of humans and human gloating during my 45 years of age, there are limits to my tolerance: American PoW’s (Prisoners-of-War) being decapitated-on-video in Iraq or Afghanistan and other videos of human perishing and suffering or videos of cruelty to animals are way beyond my limits.

But unfortunately, I know that there are people that watch and (sometimes even enjoy) these video’s. The German’s have the beautiful word ‘Schadenfreude’ (roughly translated: ‘misery pleasure’) for it

It is my opinion that these videos are a reflection of the socionomic mood that we are currently suffering from and I want you to look at the following news item in this light. The Dutch newspaper ‘Algemeen Dagblad’ (www.ad.nl) reports:

A serial-killing bull [a real one – EL] made another victim.

A 29 year old man died on Saturday, as a consequence of the wounds that the 500 kg (1000 Oz.) heavy bull Ratón caused him during a city fiesta in the town Xativa (East-Spain).Ratón, Spanish for mouse, butchered two other spectators during the last decade . 

Due to his murderous reputation, Ratón’s owners let themselves pay €10,000 before showing their premium animal. Festival organizers are gladly paying this amount, according to the owners. When Ratón performs, spectators are happy to pay the double amount for an entry ticket. 

On video footage, it can be seen how the infamous bull swung the man into the air in the arena and subsequently smashed him to the ground. According to local newspaper Las Provincias, eyewitnesses declared that the man was drunk and was previously led back to his seat at the grandstand.

Of course this news item shows the video footage of the poor man. I didn’t look at this footage and I don´t want to add it to this message. Everybody is of course free to click the aforementioned link and to watch it himself.

I from my point-of-view ask myself if it will ever get better with this world, as long as people enjoy footage like this. And even are willing to pay a double entry price, for the chance of seeing someone being butchered by a wild animal with a very sad past.

And before you call me that: I don’t consider myself a hypocrite by writing on this story. I just want to tell it as an illustration of the strange days we are living in.