You know one of my pet hates on forums is when people make ridiculous statements like these.
Saying that you don't like someone's style of writing/directing or saying that the shows they have created aren't your taste, is fine. The nice thing about the shows that I like is that they are a very specific style, very different and therefore not designed to be enjoyed by EVERYBODY.
But suggesting that people who watch it will eventually come to their senses is undermining.
Suggesting that Joss Whedon's characters are cardboard shows that you have absolutely no understanding of characterisation as a whole - or you have simple never given Buffy a chance in hell to prove the complexity of it's characters too you.
I mean we are talking about some of the most involved personalities i've ever come across. I know these characters better than I know some of my friends, in that I understand them and their actions and how they behave. They are extremely developed, changing from the first episode they appear in to the last in such interesting and experimental ways.
Each one is entirely unique, and Joss is the most talented director i've ever encountered at handling large casts and giving all them equal time to grow and show themselves.
Finally, Joss Whedon doesn't try to be anything. He just natural writes in this way... it's his sense of humour, it's the way he plays with his words... and I absolutely love it.
When you compare the dialogue, banter or style of writing in Buffy to say Dollhouse, you can see that he's not forcing anything. That show, if dissapointing to some, only showed me that he doesn't force himself to write in the same style just to please the fans... each of his ideas has it's own style, while still be indetifiyable as one of his products.
The man is an auter, a respected proffesional, but he is certainly not overrated. He hasn't gotten much recognition from the general public, who most of the time when i mention him, haven't got a clue who i'm talking about.
The fact that you have decided you HATE buffy and angel, despite admitting that you haven't seen more than a few episodes, has clearly clouded your ability to make a decent point.
And like one bunny rabbit once said,' if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all'.