MovieChat Forums > Mermaids: The Body Found (2012) Discussion > Why is it so hard for people to believe ...

Why is it so hard for people to believe in things like this?

posted 11 years ago by silly1213
5 replies | jump to latest

Now, I too believe that this documentary is a fake. The CG, actors, and the show Lost Tapes convinced me so, but the meat of this documentary is very interesting. What was more interesting was the reaction of most people who gave their opinion on it. Most people outright said "FAKE", "CRAP", "STUPID," and that this "garbage" was planted for the dummies to believe it. I could not believe how absolutely harsh everyone was and how close minded we are to different possibilities.

I know many of you will say that the reason why you were so harsh was because Animal Planet tried to pass it as true, which is deceitful, and while I agree, I feel that social pressure also. People are afraid of ridicule, and coming out and saying that this can even possibly be true will result in ridicule. The words crazy and idiot will be thrown around, and you'll be shut down immediately. It's all in an attempt to fit in with what everyone else believed. I know that when I watched it with my family, they definitely said those things when I showed interest in the topic. My cheeks flushed as I tried to downplay my interest.

It makes me think, how can the government, professionals, and normal people actually pull over on us? Why is it that until it comes from the mouth of the government or some agency, it is not accepted by truth. Why is it that when it is not popular belief, you're the odd one out when you do not conform? What can we trust as true knowledge?

At one time, Galileo was ridiculed for his heliocentric model of the solar system, and although we've come a long way from that, people still do not change, we still ridicule what has been said to be impossible, fairy tales, plain stupid.

As for the people who may be lurking and believe the documentary is true (I haven't seen one like that, most posts are Animal Planet shaming), keep an open mind. This documentary contains may be fake but in the future, who knows what will be accepted as true or fake. Don't let the mass prime or deter you.

[–] WilltoPower 11 years ago

Part of society's fully embracing the scientific method as a means to understanding the world, is the requirement of objective empirical evidence for verification or validation.

Without such evidence, science doesn't take things seriously. There are exceptions to this, but only when there is overwhelmingly tangential evidence strong enough to create a theory. The theory of human evolution comes to mind: while no so called "missing link" has been found, enough evidence has been found regarding the transition of bi-pedal primates to homo-sapiens to allow it's acceptance as a theory.

Right now, there is no evidence of a creature such as the one posited by this film. But, given the lack of exploration allotted to the ocean, it is very likely there are things in there, (particularly the deepest portions) we've never seen before --- whether monstrous, beautiful, or expected in form and to discount that possibility is wrong.

I think mermaids are difficult for many to accept because they are a huge departure from the ecosystems we have identified and studied. There is no base species upon which to extrapolate their existence...no where to begin. Without a starting point, it's hard to find plausibility.

For example, the idea of a gigantic aquatic dinosaur is more plausible than a partially human mammal able to exist and live in environments that basic assumptions about its physiology indicate they could not survive.

[–] pva3232 11 years ago

I agree with the first poster. I loved the mocumentory! I think it pushed the envelope of our imaginations. Similar to "Ancient Aliens". We as a species can be so arrogant to believe because we haven't seen aliens (well, some of us) there must not be any.
That we in this vast universe amongst many other universes are the only living beings. We can't even get past the moon let a alone explore the deepest oceans and caves on our own planet. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these fables are based on truth.
We are soo desensitized to things because of CGI and excellent costume making. Would we know ithe real thing if we saw it or would we dismiss it as we do everything else?

[–] bufster3 11 years ago

The Extended Cut and Mermaids: The New Evidence airing again on Animal Planet tonight.

http://www.examiner.com/article/mermaids-the-body-found-specials-tonig ht-on-animal-planet

[–] unknown_soul278 9 years ago

We don't know much about the oceans and we probably never will. We don't know what is down there. It's like krakens; they probably do exist. But what they call krakens we call squid and octopi. There is no way to know how big those things can really get and I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility for them to get as big as the monsters in stories of kraken. They don't leave fossil records like the megalodon. And if anything wanted to hide and never be found, there are plenty of places in the ocean where that would be easy to do.

[–] Thomas-FordJr-1 9 years ago

We as people may never see a mermaid with our own eyes, but if they did exist, there's a good chance we'd know. And that good chance comes from other animals, mainly large marine predators such as sharks, killer whales, salt water crocs, and sperm whales. Evidence of such creatures would be found in the stomachs of these larger predators. Even if they weren't actively hunting them, they'd scavenge off of dead bodies. People knew giant squids existed long before they officially recorded them, because their remains were found in the stomachs of sperm whales.

And something like a mermaid would most likely be found in food rich waters off of the coasts, tropical reefs, or polar regions. And many of these same waters are the prime fishing grounds for humans. There is a lot of sea traffic in these areas.

But like another poster said: A mermaid is biologically impractical. There is no natural advantage to having a half human, half fish creature. Especially in the way the body of a mermaid is depicted. It's as whacked out as believing that a centaur could be running around the woods of Europe.

Nature does not care about looking cool or different. All nature cares about is survival.