Apologia pro Buffy...

Xander: I've got a theory:
It could be witches,
Some evil witches -
Which is ridiculous 'cos witches they were persecuted wicca good and woman power and love the earth
and I'll be over here...

This is from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, specifically from the song in which they're trying to work out why everyone has started singing spontaneously. This bit is partly mocking Xander, the clodhopping one, whose best chum is a 'good witch.' It's also, however, I think, mocking the new notion of cuddly wicca-ness where one shouldn't say nasty things about witches; as indeed happened much earlier in the series, when there was a satirical scene with a 'wiccan' group in Sunnydale College which was primarily concerned with questions like, 'OK, so who moved my woman-power scented candle?' Buffy is not necessarily the most edifying thing in the world, and the whole big pro-lesbian thing is very bad, but it's not intrinsically utterly evil either - cf the Harry Potter debate, I suppose... Especially as at one point said 'good witch' turns really evil, and Xander has to Save The World by the power of his friendship. (Lots of Buffy-ites seemed to think it was a weak season ending. I thought it was one of the best: persistent love (and I mean caritas, not eros) was the only thing that could do any good - and even so it could not really help until it was accepted - which seemed beautifully constructed to me.) Joss Whedon doesn't have a not-so-secret occultist agenda. It seems to me that he mostly likes sending things up, really.

No, this isn't particularly relevant to anything. It's just that people keep expressing considerable surprise that I like Buffy, so an apologia of sorts seems in order.

The songs are also very hummable, and there are some very silly rhymes. Hurrah. Now go and read Aelianus's much more edifying post below.