Hope you and your loved ones are doing well and staying healthy! For this week’s discussion topic, I wanted to propose a topic more so related to pop culture and one that has become really popular over the past few weeks: Tiger King. Specifically, I’d like to focus on why you think it has become such a cultural fixture and how this ties back to our society’s fascination with these true crime docuseries and the true crime genre as a whole.
For context, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is a 2020 American true crime docuseries on Netflix, which details the life and controversies surrounding zookeeper and self-proclaimed country singer, Joe Exotic, over a 5 year time span. Audiences gain an inside scoop on the continuous rift between big cat conservationists (including Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue) and breeders such as Joe Exotic (former owner of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park); this rivalry mainly stems from the breeders, like Exotic, being accused of exploiting/abusing wild animals. In retaliation, Exotic tries everything in his power to destroy Baskin’s image, which is inexplicably linked to her rich husband’s disappearance — a tactic which ends in a botched murder-for-hire plot leading to Exotic’s arrest. The show also features interviews with a multitude of sources, ranging from Exotic’s numerous husbands and former zoo employees.
Below, I’ve included the trailer, as well as some articles pertaining to the docuseries and the cultural fascination with true crime.
Note: The second video linked is a bit long, but really informative and goes deep into the topic regarding Exotic’s personality/persona and how/why the show became popular. Would recommend, nonetheless!
Tiger King Trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds) (链接到外部网站。)
The Psychology of Tiger King (1 hour 27 minutes) (链接到外部网站。)
‘Tiger King’ Ranks as TV’s Most Popular Show Right Now, According to Rotten Tomatoes (链接到外部网站。)
‘Tiger King’: The not-so-secret formula behind its popularity (链接到外部网站。)
Why We Are Drawn to True Crime Shows (链接到外部网站。)
After watching these videos and skimming through the articles, I would like to hear your guys’ opinions on the topic. Here are some questions to consider to help kick off the discussion:
- Have you watched Tiger King and/or are you interested in the true crime genre as a whole? Why do you think this is the case?
- Given the mass popularity that Tiger King, why do you think it became as popular as it did? Do you think that the current situation we are in (in terms of the shelter-in-place) has done anything to boost the show’s popularity?
- What are the consequences of media like Tiger King painting people like Joe Exotic as “anti heroes” of sorts and people like Baskin in such a negative light? Do you think that this portrayal is warranted? What are the dangers/concerns in doing so, especially in the context of these true crime shows as a whole?
- For those of you that have watched Tiger King, do you think Carole Baskin killed her husband?
