Are Mermaids Real?

FYI

I have been meaning to write about this for a while, and then just the other day I saw something in the news about it, and so I'm going to do it. Because I for one find it appalling, and a betrayal of trust.
First of all, it all started a few weeks ago when I was perusing the channels on TV. There was nothing good on. Between Swamp People, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and Jersey Shore I'm surprised our country hasn't been overtaken by squirrels. But I digress...
So I was flipping through the channels and I see this show on Animal Planet called "The Body Found" and for as best I could tell when I started watching, it was some kind of documentary about mermaids. And I thought to myself "Someone is claiming they found a mermaid body? WTF?" So I started watching. It had to be some kind of joke right? They showed some fancy animations, and they were cool, but...obviously a product of someones imagination, but then they interviewed these people who supposedly worked for NOAA but got fired for...giving away the secret that the government was trying to keep from rest of the world. And it was at that point that I got totally confused. Why you might ask? Because I was sure it had to be a joke, but...they weren't being funny. Because if it was supposed to be for real  it was totally ridiculous! The things they were saying were sending up so many red flags in my brain I could barely see the TV screen. How could these people be ex-government scientists? It wasn't possible. And the way the whole "documentary" was crafted, the "evidence" that they were showing that I'd never heard of or seen before in my life, and the conclusions they were reaching based on stuff that didn't even qualify as...data did not fit with any of the things I know about oceanography, science, or scientists! What the hell was going on? The things they were saying couldn't be substantiated or verified. I know become I looked some of the more plausible of them up. There were a couple times they said used some fancy term, or stated some "fact" that sounded sketchy, and I looked it up on the Internet and there was no such thing. How could the "documentary makers" not have realized that? There were even glaring inconsistencies between their story line, and reality. For example two little boys supposedly caught a video of a mermaid. But in the video there was a zoom on the camera (which doesn't happen on cell phones) and besides that they showed the supposed phone, and those older models didn't even have video capability! But who would make a false documentary on purpose? It was a hoax I realized. It was the only thing that made sense.
I literally sat there on the couch for an hour, watching the whole farce and talking to myself, voicing my disappointment mostly in Animal Planet, but also in the people who conceived a show that was so obviously meant to deceive. I thought about all the people that were going to be freaking out tomorrow, and telling their parents and friends that mermaids are real, and that the government has been hiding them from us.
I also could not for the life of me understand why anyone would make such a...show. Was it to see how many people would believe it? If so why? Was it to see how stupid and gullible we are for what we see on TV? Was it supposed to be a prank? If so it was a terrible one. And in my mind Animal Planet has lost what credibility they had with me over this. And finally, I was just really pissed me off.
Your average "American Joe" isn't a scientist, and isn't going to pick up on the subtle inconsistencies in a show like that. They aren't going to sit there and say "Wait a minute...those hieroglyphics they showed don't look real. And why can't I find any reference to them on the Internet?" They are not trained to question, and seek out answers to what they don't understand. They just sit there and think to themselves "Holy shit! If government scientists are telling me this, and cave men knew about mermaids a hundred thousand years ago then they must be real! I need to tell everybody!"
For those that are even remotely interested in science, they trust "documentaries" to tell them the truth, or at least some close a version to it as possible. That is the whole premise of a documentary, to inform.  And networks like Animal Planet, and National Geographic have had some really great ones.  But to have a trusted source of information air something so completely fabricated, such a blatant and utter lie (not only was the science false, but they also falsified quite a lot of history as well), is unforgivable. It was a gross breach of trust to the American people, and children especially.
Because now, what do you think is going to happen? The millions of people who saw this stupid show, and jumped on the phone, or twitter, or Facebook to tell their friends, feel like idiots. They feel betrayed by whom they believe to be scientists, but are in reality just some actors. They will now view real science with misplaced skepticism, and real scientists with distrust. And we are back to square one. We end up with a society that is afraid of science. AND IT PISSES ME OFF!
I know that a little skepticism is good. And I am certainly not trying to say that everyone should believe what they see in a "documentary" (I've seen ones on UFO's), but this was different. It was a total lie from beginning to end, meant purposely to fool people. This wasn't just a little faulty data, or a misplaced opinion of the facts, this was a start to finish freaking deception! Real science, and real scientists might not always get the right answers, or correctly interpret what they observe, but they NEVER, EVER falsify information purely to deceive those who understand less than they do. But I'm sure there are lots of people who would disagree with that now!
Thanks a lot Animal Planet. And shame on you for airing this show. At the very least shame on you for not making it clear that it was all a farce. I don't like you anymore. Go away.

P.S. If you think I am blowing this out of proportion then how do you explain the fact that NOAA had to issue a public statement denying the existence of mermaids because enough people were freaking out about it for them to think it necessary...don't believe me? Look it up.

P.S.S. I just read an article says that the US Center for Disease Control has issued a statement only recently denying the existence of zombies...really? For all of you with kids- Please do me a favor, and encourage them to pay attention in science class. You'd be doing them a great service.