Have you ever been so angry, you've... "embellished" a few negatives? Let's say someone spills coffee on your favorite shirt. Later, while venting your frustration to someone, you might exaggerate the price of the shirt, or its availability, or sentimental value. Anything to gain sympathy and to help justify your displeasure -- that's how the human brain works. Is this a flaw? Well, if it does serve to effectively garner support, then perhaps it's a tool. But in most cases, the practice of frustrated embellishment only works to perpetuate a fatalist, self-condemning future.

I can't say I'm surprised at the way the LA Times painted the story of Ana Wilson and her foreclosure nightmare. Scott, the Times on-scene business reporter (yeah, they sent a business reporter), spoke with me at length about the complexities of the nation's foreclosure crisis. Complexities, he said, that made it difficult for him to understand the nuances in cases like Ana's. How could so many people feel entitled to get out of an agreement they signed?

This is the account of one occupier who was arrested on the night of the Occupy LA raid. Her story is devastating, and no human being deserves to be treated this way.

Transcription:

Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions about the Occupy Movement, as answered by a humble occupier in Los Angeles. Each paragraph will be followed by a tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) for those who prefer abridgment.

Please note that I am in no way a representative, official or unofficial, of the Occupy movement. Please also note that no one is, even if they say they are. We did that on purpose. Those who claim to represent us are often the same people whose personal agendas would never pass consensus at an Occupation General Assembly.