I'd say nah, like mermaids aren't real but this is European folk stories. imagine doing African myth but making them white that'd be shit

honestly , blatant race swaps in major media now a days dont make me mad or anything unless there is a ethnic or historical aspect involved(I could litterally care less about a fictional creature's race) , but the random race swap for the sake of it does tell me the people currently in control are probably not gonna care about good writting or quality but rather just meeting check marks to sadisfy someone or something.

remember: diversity hire itself is not the problem , but a symptom.