Do any contemporary societies around the world have a gladiator concept?

Question

It's no secret that most societies around the world treat their prisoners like garbage. I wonder if anyone uses them for gladiator arena style entertainment. Throw them into a pit, throw some melee weapons, and the winner is free after like 11 wins.

That would be totally awesome and totally inhumane and awful at the same time. If that makes sense.

Answer 1

The fact that you used the word 'awesome' before 'inhumane' and 'awful' suggests there is probably a third world country jail just waiting to make your acquaintance.

As for the entertainment a society puts on, much of it depends on what technologically is available to them. Trust me, if the Romans had had Monday Night Football and plasma tvs, they'd be shouting and jumping up and down just as much. Why kill a guy when you can tackle him to the ground, hard, over and over and over again? People tend to have a pessimistic view on life when the average expectancy is somewhere in one's 40's, and that's an old person.