This is terrible. And Merker is hardly alone. Other ads and services make similar appeals. And they are all based on the idea that your "real" culture and identity exists in your DNA. That is grotesque and profoundly illiberal. More bilge from a NeverTrumper using similar logic.
I use Ancestry.com as a research tool and to uncover possible relatives (cousins) that I don't know about.
An autosomal DNA test will tell you some basic trends, migration paths, and that's about it. I'm considering a y-dna test, but am still researching that.
There's a lot of crap on Ancestry also. Ancestry is not idiot-proof. You have to know what you are doing.
'Pod.
I'm finding my Ancestry DNA is a good additional tool to put together my extended tree. As more and more people spit into the tube the data base is improving. I'm using skills Uncle taught me to analyze the results. Almost the same as putting together a “net diagram.”