Tiger King is not a piece of ethical advocacy for big cats. While it brings attention to the issue of big cat ownership, it does not quite bring the right attention to it. Viewers are able to learn more about the complications with big cats, but the show is more dramatic than informative. The show wraps viewers in the eccentric nature of the people involved, the drama between these people, and the mysteries of the show. The Atlantic published an article called “Netflix’s Tiger King is an Ethical Train Wreck” which further attests to the documentary’s failure to advocate (1). Since Tiger King became such a hot topic, I’ve heard more people wondering if Carole Baskin killed her husband than wondering about how they can save big cats. Kim Kardashian was even wondering, and she tweeted, “‘Wow the amount of texts I’ve gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carole killed her husband! What are your thoughts? Do you think Carole killed him?’” (2). This demonstrates how pop culture is infatuated with the possible murder case on hand rather than the attempt to plea for big cats. Kim Kardashian is even trying to save Joe Exotic by getting him out of jail, and Cardi B wants to start a GoFundMe to save him. The show has created more memes than movements toward advocating for big cats. This is certainly not the result that Carole Baskin was seeking through her alleged piece of ethical advocacy. Carole Baskin even expressed in the Tampa Bay Times as she said, “‘I just feel so angry that people have totally missed the point. And the point is these cubs are being abused and exploited and the public is enabling that’” (3).
Ethos is the biggest attribute that Tiger King is missing. It is very hard to take the people seriously and to view them in a professional manner. The show makes the situation seem like a free-for-all. As a result, it is hard to be moved on this issue by anything that is said. It seems like what the characters say is taken either as comedy or as contributions to the evolving drama. In order to advocate for big cats like Carole Baskin desire, a professional who is a neutral party is needed to sort out the facts and provide validation. The documentary also seems to lack ethics. The people involved all seem to have an ethical flaw, such as being accused of murder. Furthermore, Carole Baskin’s attempts at advocating for big cats all seem very manipulative and suspicious. Therefore, the documentary also needs to get rid of the speculation and myths to effectively serve as ethical advocacy. A post-season analysis from a respected animal rights organization could build some sort of advocacy movement on top of the well-established drama.
Tiger King, the hottest news in entertainment culture, is truly entertainment. As mentioned above, people are infatuated with drama not with the underlying attempt at advocacy. The documentary has potential to effectively advocate, but the current framing of the show does not seek out that approach.
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Sources:
(1): https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/04/netflix-tiger-king-is-an-ethical-trainwreck/609568/
(2): https://people.com/tv/kim-kardashian-praises-netflix-tiger-king/
(3): https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2020/04/10/carole-and-howard-baskin-say-tiger-king-makers-betrayed-their-trust/?ads=b&utm_expid=.OkR8_rI9TJCniE4SYU689w.2&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F