Dearest Vittorio Feltri, what a disappointment for us elderly people to see the circus on TV last night as it is today. For us the circus without animals is no longer the circus.
Best regards.
Marcello Ceroti
Florence
Dear Marcello,
it will be a disappointment for you, but for me it is a sign of civilization that animals are no longer used and engaged in shows of this type. It has always been a great thing to say that the animals are treated well in the circus, that they do not suffer, that they are loved, that they are even happy with that type of life imposed on them. I have always believed that these are completely false presumptions, that they cannot in any way clear the consciences of both those who applaud in front of the trained tiger and those who hold the whip in their hands. And speaking of whips, I’ll tell you: for years I have dedicated myself to horse racing, even at a competitive level, but I have always refused to use certain tools to dominate or encourage the horse. A word or a caress was enough for me to get in tune with him, to motivate him, to get the most out of the collaboration. To win together. I was grateful to the equine and the equine was grateful to me. I spoke to my horses as one speaks to a person, a friend, a brother, the only difference was this: they understood me and there was never a misunderstanding between us. With their gestures or expressions they were able to communicate in a terribly effective and eloquent way. The horses showed that they listened to me and understood me.
Seeing caged animals gives me a sense of suffocation, of profound identification, of uncontainable bitterness. Maybe it’s because I love freedom too much… Well, I don’t think at all that the circus beasts are satisfied with detention, with being pilloried in front of screaming crowds, with a noisy audience that laughs and applauds, with traveling on board those narrow means of transport, without having an idea of the next destination and the next departure, without being able to complain about feeling unwell, without being able to escape. Indeed, I cannot imagine a more painful and cruel fate. Putting an end to this exploitation, this horror, is our duty. In the same way, bullfighting should be abolished, a barbaric legacy of an era in which human beings had not yet become aware of the fact that animals are sentient beings, just like us, capable of getting excited, of feeling suffering, pleasure, in general, emotions that are not the exclusive prerogative of us humans, who consider ourselves unjustifiably superior.
I don’t enjoy seeing four-legged animals tamed with beatings or threats. I see humiliation, lack of hope, or rather resignation and discouragement in their eyes. I ask you, dear Marcello, can a living being be happy to be behind bars? Answer honestly. Think about it carefully. I am convinced that your answer can only be negative.
So why should we miss the circus with animals? Isn’t it a silly and sick nostalgia that grips you and that you complain about? Wouldn’t it be more right to rejoice because our enjoyment is no longer linked to the suffering of others?
There are other traditions to defend. Certainly not these ones here.