Just got done watching the first episode of Tiger King.

[WhiskeyTango]

Well I watched an episode and a half. Holy humanity. How the hell are any of those maniacs allowed to own private zoo's? So I love all cats, big and small. And seeing that one douche ride on that elephant made my stomach churn. I get it, bringing these animal's here are more necessary. But they really shouldn't be owned by private gun toting lunatics or eccentric hippy ladies. I know it's silly with Covid going on to rant about this, but this legit needs government oversigh. I can be a cynic on most things, but this is something really important. Thoughts?

[Sunstone]

I just watched the first episode of this series the other week with my family, we saw it on Netflix because at the time it was the top show on there (it might still be, I’m not sure, I don’t use Netflix often myself, my family does).

Anyways, yeah there was quite a dispute going on! o.o Between those in favour of keeping domesticated tigers and other wild animals for entertainment purposes versus those in favour of keeping them for care/nurturing reasons. The feud, as demonstrated both by Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin is pretty… intense, and that’s putting it lightly.

Personally, I’m not really leaning towards either side, and I don’t really think either of them are “in the right”… they both have their flaws.

For Joe Exotic and his associates, the impression I get from them is that their protocols on workplace safety, legal arrangements and business conventions are very lacklustre and unprofessional. Joe seems to be most passionate about his pets, and the satisfaction and personal gain that comes with being a notable figure who can show off this niche interest of his for the rest of the world to see. Ownership of domesticated animals such as tigers, elephants, and apes, are already a significantly uncommon choice, so this alone is enough to propel him to some degree of notoriety, as statistically, he stands out. I think the problem with Joe is that he capitalises on being the limelight – the centre of attention, via the zoo which he operates, all the while neglecting and discarding anything that might impede his success (eg safety concerns, government interference, lawsuits, individuals who protest him; Carole Baskin and her whole campaign).

Carole Baskin’s hitch is that she views herself as a “vigilante”, someone who perceives herself to be a righteous saviour who can do no wrong, but fails to acknowledge that she herself is imperfect. I thought that her protesting was a bit excessive, but also, the way she houses the tigers in their enclosures is just as bad, if not worse than the enclosures seen at Joe’s zoo – at least from what I saw in the first episode, maybe not all the tigers are kept in those tiny, confined spaces, though I doubt it. It also doesn’t help that she likes to toot her own horn a lot, and adds fuel to the fire by going to very strenuous efforts to name and shame Joe for something which she perceives to be immoral in all ways conceivable.

The entire idea of owning big, wild animals as pets has always been controversial, and Tiger King is not the first story like this where things have gone haywire or ended in tragedy. The situation depicted in Tiger King reminds me of some stories I remember reading years ago about circus elephants and people who owned pet monkeys that went berserk and attacked their owners/other people. Personally with regards to whether ownership of these kinds of animals should be permissible or not, I think it’s entirely dependant on the situation, and works case-by-case – some people can be suited to owning some wild animals, while other people are not so well suited to owning certain types of animals. It depends on a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration.

All-in-all I thought it was a pretty interesting start to a series that I may as well watch the rest of, given the whole COVID-19 situation and whatnot. >.< I’m interested to see what happens and what the conclusion and aftermath to all of this will be, although I’m guessing already that it’s not going to be a very happy ending, I don’t think.

[WhiskeyTango]

18 minutes ago, Sunstone said:

I just watched the first episode of this series the other week with my family, we saw it on Netflix because at the time it was the top show on there (it might still be, I’m not sure, I don’t use Netflix often myself, my family does).

Anyways, yeah there was quite a dispute going on! o.o Between those in favour of keeping domesticated tigers and other wild animals for entertainment purposes versus those in favour of keeping them for care/nurturing reasons. The feud, as demonstrated both by Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin is pretty… intense, and that’s putting it lightly.

Personally, I’m not really leaning towards either side, and I don’t really think either of them are “in the right”… they both have their flaws.

For Joe Exotic and his associates, the impression I get from them is that their protocols on workplace safety, legal arrangements and business conventions are very lacklustre and unprofessional. Joe seems to be most passionate about his pets, and the satisfaction and personal gain that comes with being a notable figure who can show off this niche interest of his for the rest of the world to see. Ownership of domesticated animals such as tigers, elephants, and apes, are already a significantly uncommon choice, so this alone is enough to propel him to some degree of notoriety, as statistically, he stands out. I think the problem with Joe is that he capitalises on being the limelight – the centre of attention, via the zoo which he operates, all the while neglecting and discarding anything that might impede his success (eg safety concerns, government interference, lawsuits, individuals who protest him; Carole Baskin and her whole campaign).

Carole Baskin’s hitch is that she views herself as a “vigilante”, someone who perceives herself to be a righteous saviour who can do no wrong, but fails to acknowledge that she herself is imperfect. I thought that her protesting was a bit excessive, but also, the way she houses the tigers in their enclosures is just as bad, if not worse than the enclosures seen at Joe’s zoo – at least from what I saw in the first episode, maybe not all the tigers are kept in those tiny, confined spaces, though I doubt it. It also doesn’t help that she likes to toot her own horn a lot, and adds fuel to the fire by going to very strenuous efforts to name and shame Joe for something which she perceives to be immoral in all ways conceivable.

The entire idea of owning big, wild animals as pets has always been controversial, and Tiger King is not the first story like this where things have gone haywire or ended in tragedy. The situation depicted in Tiger King reminds me of some stories I remember reading years ago about circus elephants and people who owned pet monkeys that went berserk and attacked their owners/other people. Personally with regards to whether ownership of these kinds of animals should be permissible or not, I think it’s entirely dependant on the situation, and works case-by-case – some people can be suited to owning some wild animals, while other people are not so well suited to owning certain types of animals. It depends on a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration.

All-in-all I thought it was a pretty interesting start to a series that I may as well watch the rest of, given the whole COVID-19 situation and whatnot. >.< I’m interested to see what happens and what the conclusion and aftermath to all of this will be, although I’m guessing already that it’s not going to be a very happy ending, I don’t think.

YES! Thank you. I've so far felt Carole was disingenuous. Look I would love to own a pack of cute lion or baby cubs. But, if given the opportunity, I know they're in the hands of better professionals. She has too much going on in her life to be caring for those animals. 

 

I used to hate zoo's, but now I kind of get it. Like the Henry Doorly, here in Nebraska. At least it's open to Govt investigation. And I do believe they legitimately care, as they really rely on memberships and payments to go to the park itself, at least from what I've read. 

 

And Joe Exotic and the others, I wouldn't trust them with a pet mouse. For fucks sake. 

[kinkikitti69]

I ended up watching that documentary, and there are a lot more people who should be in Jail. As you keep watching it and see all of the different people who get involved, and all of the things they do, I personally don't think Joe Exotic is the biggest issue. Bigger players need to be investigated and taken down...