Watching 'Tiger King' a bit like a Trump vs. Clinton rematch
Indeed, Baskin, who heads the respected nonprofit Big Cat Rescue, has posted her side of the story on her organization's website for those who want to take the time to hear about it. But the "Tiger King" series says little about her achievements compared with complaints about her from Joe Exotic and his fellow "Big Cat" men.
When I showed that to my Bernie Sanders-supporting son, he saw Baskin as guilty, too, at least of excessive "virtue signaling," a charge that I find to be at least superior to having no virtue at all.
He invited me to hash it out with him on "Generation Fringe," the podcast that he started to explore our generational differences without disrupting family dinners.
More than one debate continues. Netflix has announced an additional episode to update the narrative. Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, Fla., has reopened his investigation into the disappearance of Baskin's husband, Don Lewis, who ran a big cat sanctuary in the Tampa area before he disappeared 23 years ago.
And Investigation Discovery network has announced its own follow-up, "Investigating the World of Joe Exotic."
More to come, I'm sure. Comparisons to the Clinton-Trump contest may seem to fall apart as the tiger tales unfold. Yet I still hear a familiar conflict as Baskin, once the would-be victim in a murder plot, now pushes back against rumors and suspicions raised by her rivals.
As I said after Trump's election, we can all benefit in these polarized times from taking a peek at how the world looks to those who happen to be on the other political side. The same holds true in the freak show world of reality TV where what you are in reality can mean less than what you represent in other people's imaginations.
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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.)
(c) 2020 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
