I’d agree with Kevin Burwick of MovieWeb in thinking that a lot of people are just waiting, and possibly hoping, that Joe Exotic’s 15 minutes of fame would finally be up, but somehow the mullet-wearing convict continues to find good fortune as 7,000 items from his clothing line and merchandise sold out in just hours, netting a little over $20,000. It’s kind of proof that karmic justice is either slower than molasses in winter or doesn’t exist, isn’t it? Somehow, despite not being bright enough to keep himself out of prison, Joe is managing to make more money in less than a day while in prison than people on the outside can make in several months. It’s not worth asking how this is possible since there are plenty of people out there that somehow still believe that Joe and those he hung with and those he hated are somehow decent people that simply love the animals they work with and aren’t somehow rotten at the very core. With that being said though the glory hound has no problem putting himself out there, though the merchandise that’s been sold is a little understated for what people might have expected, such as flamboyant colors, sequins, tassles, all that kind of stuff that was seen on the show when Joe was trying to be at his best. Maybe that kind of look will be included in the next batch and will net him another twenty grand.
It’s not worth being salty about since no amount of money is getting him out of the cage he’s found himself in, though it would obviously anger a lot of people that wonder how justified it is that inmates are allowed to continue to do business while on the inside. There’s a huge moral debate about this that I won’t bother getting into at the moment as it would simply take too long and need to pull from several different opinions to really go anywhere. Adam Miller of Metro has more to say on the matter. The problem isn’t with Joe Exotic making money while he’s incarcerated, it’s in the fact that people for one reason or another want a piece of the spectacle that’s been going on since Tiger King came to Netflix. In the interest of giving interesting and bizarre stories their due it’s enough to say that Joe Exotic and those that were highlighted along with him were definitely given their spotlight, but at this point one has to wonder when people are going to move on and admit that it’s not quite that interesting. Of course being required to stay home and keep watching it doesn’t help since really constant exposure is just pulling more people in.
Oddly enough Joe’s case is one that’s impressive in a macabre sort of way since looking at him and how he’s conducted himself throughout the course of his career one might think that there’s no way in hell a person such as this should be making one cent, let alone the thousands of dollars in merchandise that he’s been making. He’s rarely been a decent human being, he’s mistreated the animals that rely on him, just reading about the G.W. Zoo makes it clear that no matter how much good that Joe and his people try to inject into their story that it’s a bunch of spin to try and distract those that might look a little close and find out that the place is a sham and the world of big cats and those that tend them is an illusion waiting to be torn down. Like always the biggest losers in this deal are the animals that Joe and so many others keep as pets or exploit and eventually damage in one way or another by allowing people to manhandle them as cubs and then gape and gawk at as exhibits. Why anyone would support Joe or those like him is kind of hard to imagine since really the Tiger King is a self-styled megalomaniac that has somehow convinced far too many people that he’s worth what they’re throwing his way. Be it all for spectacle or not, the fact remains that Joe Exotic is profiting off of a poorly executed idea that has been built upon the exploitation and eventual abuse and even death of several of the animals that he so professes to love. This isn’t PETA talking, otherwise there might be a call to storm the G.W. Zoo and any and all such establishments keeping animals in cages. This is common sense that a man such as Joe isn’t worth a slim nickel and has been put up on a pedestal by those that love to watch the freak show and marvel at how this particular specimen will pose and strut about for them as though he’s something he’s not. In truth, Joe has a lot in common with his merchandise, it’s cheaply made and over-valued. Hannah Yelin of the Independent has something else to say about this.
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