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While watching NetflixsTiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, I had many thoughts and feelings.
But sometimes, coherence eludes me.
Watching it, I couldnt land on any one single thought.
So instead, here are my thoughts onTiger King, presented as a Socratic dialogue with … myself.
Me: So, is this series …good?
Myself:Tiger Kingexhibits many of the qualities of good.
Itsextremelyabsorbing, first and most importantly.
Thought it was going to be about illegal animal breeding?
Well its also aboutmurder.
But not the murder you thought!
Well okay, yes, it is about the murder you thought, but its also aboutmoremurder.
All of that seems like plenty for one series, right?
Ha ha, there are also cults!
Me:Let me rephrase.
IsTiger Kinggood in amoralsense?
Is it an ethical piece of filmmaking?
Because come on, you know you cringed while watching this.
Tiger King, for all its extreme watchability, also lives pretty close to that TLC reality-show place.
You feel okay watching this?
Myself: Ehhhhhhhhhh…
Me:Mm-hmm.
Myself: No, look, its not the same!
Theyre being treated as objects of entertainment rather than people.
Okay,Tiger Kingdoes that, too.
Theres also very little in here that takes animal cruelty seriously.
Unlike the kids inToddlers and Tiarasor the blurred-face subjects inCops, the subjects ofTiger Kingare consenting, adult criminals.
Joseph Maldonado-Passagehired a hit man to kill someone.
All the human subjects ofTiger Kingare consenting adult participants who can speak for themselves.
Me:Thereare suggestionsthey got paid to participate, though.
Plus, its pretty gross thatTiger Kingspends so little time thinking about tiger welfare.
That was gross and probably its good someone pointed it out!
Me: He says itsnot a cult!
Myself:LOL suuuuuure.
Me: Yeah, youre right, theres no way that guys on the level.
Me: But there are other characters in this series who could not fully speak for themselves!
Especially Joes former husband Travis, who killed himself in a firearm accident.
This series doesnt even come close to treating his life with respect.
Myself: Its allsotragic.
It truly is, and the biggest fault of the docuseries is how little it acknowledges that.
But it does illuminate so many other tragedies.
The zoo employees who eat off the animal food truck!
The way these tiger people exploit labor.
and pays them nothing while they maintain her huge profitable big-cat facility!
That was never a question.
Myself: We have reached a detente.
Me:Do you think Carol Baskin killed her first husband??
Myself: Oh,yes.
