Running of the Bulls: a Joker with a phone and the public healthcare paradox
A man dressed as the Joker caused chaos during the San Fermín bull run in Pamplona, Spain. The debate over who pays for reckless behaviour has resurfaced, with plenty of irony.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The bull run that exposed healthcare hypocrisy
What does a guy painted as the Joker, filming himself on his phone in the middle of the San Fermín bull run, have to do with the debate over public healthcare? More than you might think.
The video is spreading like wildfire: a young man with his face made up like the Batman villain sneaks onto the course, phone in hand, dodging bulls and drawing gasps from the runners. For some, the scene was the perfect candidate for natural selection. But there was no goring, not even a serious scare. Darwin, for now, walked on by.
The incident, however, has reignited an old debate under the Pamplona sun. Those who take part in these runs – often the same people who, a couple of years ago, were demanding that ELbichito deniers pay for their own healthcare – are now the ones putting their physical safety in the hands of the public system. The paradox is as thick as a fighting bull's hide.
Some defend the freedom to run, to drink, to act the fool. But when the body says enough and the bill lands on Spain's public health system, the argument deflates. Public health does not discriminate between the reckless and the careful: it treats everyone alike. And that, precisely, is what leads some to lash out at rule-breakers while breaking the rules themselves every morning of the festival.
The Joker of the bull run was just the excuse. Selective memory, that old acquaintance, is strutting around freely again. Darwin, though he didn't cash in this time, is still lurking. Meanwhile, consistency remains the San Fermín festival's unfinished business.
What does a guy painted as the Joker, filming himself on his phone in the middle of the San Fermín bull run, have to do with the debate over public healthcare? More than you might think.
The video is spreading like wildfire: a young man with his face made up like the Batman villain sneaks onto the course, phone in hand, dodging bulls and drawing gasps from the runners. For some, the scene was the perfect candidate for natural selection. But there was no goring, not even a serious scare. Darwin, for now, walked on by.
The incident, however, has reignited an old debate under the Pamplona sun. Those who take part in these runs – often the same people who, a couple of years ago, were demanding that ELbichito deniers pay for their own healthcare – are now the ones putting their physical safety in the hands of the public system. The paradox is as thick as a fighting bull's hide.
Some defend the freedom to run, to drink, to act the fool. But when the body says enough and the bill lands on Spain's public health system, the argument deflates. Public health does not discriminate between the reckless and the careful: it treats everyone alike. And that, precisely, is what leads some to lash out at rule-breakers while breaking the rules themselves every morning of the festival.
The Joker of the bull run was just the excuse. Selective memory, that old acquaintance, is strutting around freely again. Darwin, though he didn't cash in this time, is still lurking. Meanwhile, consistency remains the San Fermín festival's unfinished business.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (33 replies).
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