“Tiger King” has been the sensation of the pandemic. While all of us are locked in our
houses, what better way to spend our time than learning about a private zoo owned by a meth-
addicted gay polygamist? Yes, you read that correctly. “Tiger King” follows the feud between
Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Both are big cat enthusiasts, although with radically different
views on ownership.
The show has so many twists and turns, you truly never have any idea what will happen
next. There is an entire episode about a zoo run by a man who calls himself Bhagavan (a Hindu
word meaning blessed). This guy is a white man with a ponytail living in Myrtle Beach who is
sexually exploiting women at his big cat park, and that is just the second episode. He’s also one
of the most normal people in the show.
It is definitely not a lighthearted watch. It is really funny in some parts and it is easy to
laugh at how ridiculous these people are, but it can also be absolutely appalling. Many times,
watching it made me feel physically ill. I frequently had to take whole days of breaks in between
episodes to process what I had seen.
Maybe I should have stopped watching at that point, but I had to see what would happen.
Joe Exotic is one of the most charismatic people I have ever seen on screen. Even though
virtually everything he does is despicable, you can’t stop watching. You are pulled into the
drama of the show and have to see how these bizarre scenes play out.
There are a lot of negative aspects of “Tiger King,” but it does bring up some interesting
things about America that need to be discussed, such as the private ownership of exotic animals.
It’s not a stretch to say that the animals in this show are treated horribly. It is clear that the
majority of private zoos just do not have the motivation, the money, the resources or the
infrastructure to properly care for these magnificent animals.
Even at Carole Baskin’s Rescue, the animals do not have enough space and they do not
seem happy. I was drawn to this show because I love big cats, especially tigers. However, I left
the show horrified that this kind of treatment of animals is allowed in America. It brought much
needed attention to a pressing issue, and I am grateful for that.
Another thing that I noticed is less about the show and more about the response to it.
People love Joe Exotic. This man threatens to kill a woman and even hires a hit man to have her
killed. He has said horrible things about her and tortured effigies of her live on the internet, but
people love him.
It astounds me that people can pick a side at all, but even more that they will side with
Joe, a violent, manipulative egomaniac. Maybe this has something to do with the phenomenon of
celebrity fascination or maybe it is as deeply ingrained as toxic masculinity, but it does point to a
deep-seated issue in American society.
It is important to remember that none of these people should be celebrated. These are not
characters. These are real people who create real consequences. They have hurt countless
employees and loved ones as well as precious animals who should be protected.
If you are looking for mindless entertainment during isolation, do not pick this show. If
you want to see a problem in America and see the real problems it causes for real people and real
animals, this show may be just what you need during those long afternoons.
