Buffy has the great advantage of being able to produce hands-on evidence, though. In quantity.

I mean, magic etc. maybe not. But you can clearly get people to the point of believing "bad wild animals." (See also: Initiative, The.) Just spend some time capturing a bunch, then produce them. These are real, flesh-and-blood things, which bleed or ooze or shoot paralyzing snot or explode into flames when exposed to sunlight. Repeatedly, and on demand. I mean, James Randi would get behind this, you know?

I actually can't remember any believable examples of the clued-in folks trying to talk someone else into the existence of the supernatural and being smacked down. No, I take that back - Cordelia in "Halloween." She's on board soon afterwards, though. (Yeah, "Normal Again," whatever, if people can fanwank around the AYW eggs I can choose that as a Really Stupid Point Of Canon.)

I give the writers a pass because that's part of the setup, but it is a pass.

And then, there's the opposite problem,which is that does Buffyreally want access to magic to be even more wide spreadthan it already is? Seems like a recipe for chaos.

Well, she's never worried about it before... though I do take your point.

Buffy has the great advantage of being able to produce hands-on evidence, though. In quantity.

Does she? We live in a world where a large amount of people believe we never actually went to the moon. Most people get their news on television, where images can be altered to show whatever the broadcaster wants. Even if she went on a travelling roadshow with three vampires and a polgara demon in cages, I imagine many, many people would think it's no more real than the Blair Witch Project.

Well, she's never worried about it before... though I do take your point.

Eh, it was a thought, but I'mkindof with you on this one, actually.

We live in a world where a large amount of people believe we never actually went to the moon.

It's worthwhile to note, however, that that conspiracy theory is one of the very few that suggest something didn't happen. The vast majority of conspiracy theories are designed around things they are trying to prove did happen. I mean, in both cases, elaborate wanking is involved, but I'm the autistic twerp of data points.

There's also the fact that while NASA can't send its loudest detractors to the moon to prove them wrong, Buffy could bend a steel bar chosen by hers in their direct presence, or for that matter stake a vampire right in front of them.

for that matter stake a vampire right in front of them.

Yep, see: Joyce.

There's also the fact that while NASA can't send its loudest detractors to the moon to prove them wrong

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There's also the fact that while NASA can't send its loudest detractors to the moon to prove them wrong, Buffy could bend a steel bar chosen by hers in their direct presence, or for that matter stake a vampire right in front of them.

Point. But while I'm playing Devil's Advocate here, I'd like to point out that the Initiative had a large number of "demons" in captivity, and yet many of the soldiers discounted a supernatural explanation. They saw them as werid mutant animals.

They didn't manage to capture any of the psychic or spellcasting ones, did they? (Which, I guess, would stand to reason...)

To add to Victor's point, I don't think we have to look further than The Harvest. The Sunnydale kids saw vampires--saw them bumpy-faced and feeding--saw Buffy fight them, maybe stake them, and the next day, they were calling the vamps a gang.

the Initiative had a large number of "demons" in captivity, and yet many of the soldiers discounted a supernatural explanation. They saw them as werid mutant animals.

But it doesn't matter what you call the bad beasties; it does't matter what people think they are; it matters how they react to the bad beasties. If vampires were on television, at least people would be able to say "yes, that's a ____ (cult, bunch of weirdoes, team of vaccuum-racers), I recognize them and know how to react", rather than what they do now, which is rationalize things such that they never have to react at all.

The Wishverse showed obvious signs that people can react to vampires in a contextually appropriate way. They still pretended they weren't vampires, but they didn't pretend there wasn't a problem, and they took steps accordingly.