money Why has ‘Tiger King’ captured everyone’s attention?
“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.
What’s happening
It seems like everyone is talking about the show “Tiger King.”
As much of America shelters in place inside and turns to screens for entertainment, the true-crime story has vaulted into the national spotlight. The seven-episode Netflix hit centers on Joseph Maldonado-Passage — better known as Joe Exotic — a power ballad-singing, polyamorous roadside-zoo owner who is serving a 22-year prison sentence over animal welfare charges and a murder-for-hire plot to kill his nemesis and big-cat activist, Carole Baskin.
Despite a late-March debut, “Tiger King” skyrocketed to the top of Netflix’s most-watched list. Each episode manages to introduce a new, absurd twist. No matter what keeps viewers watching — whether Joe Exotic’s presidential run to allegations of drug use to the colorful music videos — it’s clear that the show has captured America’s attention.
Why there’s debate
The show has been called everything from a compelling, welcome escape to a salacious reality series. Some say “Tiger King” provides a distraction from the anxiety of the coronavirus pandemic. But others say it fails to deliver a strong message about protecting the titular animal, though a few argue that it has boosted the profile of tiger conservation efforts.
There’s also the issue of the show’s portrayal of its characters. Some say the producers exploited the characters for the sake of the narrative (which the producers deny). Others have called the show misogynistic and say it has “mislaid sympathies.”
What’s next
“Tiger King” has spurred activists fighting for animal rights. Only about 3,900 tigers remain in the wild, but there are about 5,000 tigers in captivity in the U.S. The World Wildlife Foundation estimates that only about 6 percent of those tigers are in accredited zoos. Last fall, the Big Cat Public Safety Act — which would restrict contact between the public and big cats — was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and is now awaiting passage. In a recent interview, Joe Exotic said he’s “ashamed of myself” and wants to move on with his life.
Perspectives
People need an escape from reality
“I didn’t like the documentary at all, but maybe that didn’t matter — I felt my vulnerabilities temporarily cauterized by disgust. ... Tiger King’s moral repulsiveness remains central to its dark appeal. To pierce the madness of the current moment, it needed sharp claws.” — Kate Knibbs, Wired
The characters’ absurdity makes us feel normal
“As with some reality TV shows, the goal isn’t to let us look into others’ lives. On ‘Tiger King,’ it’s to let us judge them for being weird and thereby feel better about ourselves. It taps the same impulse that used to drive people to freak shows at carnivals: Through their supposed abnormality, we feel normal.” — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
This show is not deserving of having its moment during a pandemic
“It is a time for experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who traffic in facts and science. It is not a time for the cast of ‘Tiger King’ to be treated like celebrities, or for the fact that one of them has a new set of teeth to be a headline. Joe Exotic is the type of person who accuses facts he doesn’t like of being “fake news,” or blames the idea that he can’t say the N-word on a hyper-politically correct culture.” — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair
Tigers are being abused in the show. That’s wrong and seemingly ignored.
“Several moments of abuse can be seen in the fourth episode, such as Joe having a promotional photo shoot with a handful of tiger cubs that are so small their eyes aren’t even open. Tiger cubs usually open their eyes about a week or two after birth. But viewers wouldn’t know that, because the filmmakers don’t mention it, instead using the footage as background to talk about Joe Exotic’s quest for better Google rankings.” — Lauren Cox, NBC News
The show could do some good for animal rights in the long run
“If you were hoping for ‘Blackfish,’ you will be sorely disappointed. … Netflix’s most masterful trick is that, with this show, it has packaged up an important animal welfare issue into a true-crime maelstrom, machine-tooled to keep us coming back for the next episode. For this reason alone, millions upon millions of people around the world are waking up to this abuse of big cats in a way that a serious, more thorough documentary simply wouldn’t have been able to achieve.” — Jules Howard, Guardian
Viewers can identify the abuse themselves
“We wanted people to come to their own conclusions at the end and decide for themselves, and we hope they came away with the outcome that this was a very cruel and abusive practice.” — Eric Goode, producer, to Variety
Joe Exotic shows a rarely seen version of Southern queerness
“Amid the anxiety of the coronavirus pandemic, we are finding humor and relief in an imperfect, self-described “redneck” queer who owns more than 200 tigers. He’s the furthest cry from the affable, anodyne queer men who typically win America over, such as Cam and Mitchell of ‘Modern Family’ and the “gay best friend” cast of ‘Queer Eye.’ But unlikely times call for an unlikely hero.” — Andre Wheeler, Guardian
It’s sensational — and it’s misogynistic
“You don’t have to like Carole Baskin. But it is a good moment to ask, why do so many larger-than-life men choose outspoken women as their targets for abuse? Why are we so quick to let ourselves believe that the women are the problem, or claim that an abusive and narcissistic man attacking a woman is a conflict stemming from both sides? Why do we find these men entertaining even when we know they’re wrong, while we loathe the women they target?” — Jill Filipovic, CNN
The show confuses binge watching for real justice
“Since ‘Tiger King’s’ release, authorities in Florida have reported receiving a flood of requests to investigate and charge Baskin with murder. Binge-watching justice is officially a thing. ‘Tiger King’s’ loose structure allows for mixed messaging and mislaid sympathies.” — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times
This is a call to action
“For the most part, while people may see Joe as a joke, they do also seem to be taking a serious message away from Tiger King — that these men are dangerous criminals abusing animals, and in some instances, grooming women too.” — Brittany Peet, PETA’s’ director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, Harper’s Bazaar
Viewers need to come away informed
“[‘Tiger King’] should embolden us to have conversations about animal welfare, the power of social media, and changing our perspectives to support meaningful action for captive and free-ranging wildlife.” — Imogene Cancellare, a conservation biologist, to HuffPost
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Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Netflix
