1. Political parties are completely made up. They’re not real. And on that note, they’re not even logical. There are roughly 350 million people in the United States, and it is highly unlikely that any one of them fosters beliefs that align perfectly with the manifesto of either the right or the left wing. Choosing a party to join is something we’re all asked to do at some point, but it never makes sense. I’m a registered Democrat, but I’ve never actually believed that I’m a Democrat. It was just “close enough.” I don’t think “close enough” should be good enough anymore. We should ditch the parties that are trying to tell us what kind of person we are.

2. Once a person reads something, everything they read in opposition afterward will somehow seem harder to believe. This isn’t universally true, but when proven, it’s difficult to counter. Example: an article was published by several news outlets two weeks ago stating that 11 Occupy L.A. protesters were arrested at a Bank of America rally. Of course, that wasn’t true. Occupy L.A. agreed long ago that civil disobedience (breaking the law in protest) is not our style. But even after contacting the news sources directly to clear up the mistake, and tweeting and Facebook updating until my fingers were bruised, many people still believe, and will always believe, that 11 Occupy L.A. protesters were arrested that day in an act of civil disobedience. Something like this may seem minor, but I’d wager that the majority of Americans would decide against supporting a movement that breaks laws. And for so many people, we might as well have.

3. Political protests in the United States carry, to varying degrees, a permanent stigma of “complaining.” While the right to assemble and peacefully protest was once considered among the most patriotic and powerful forms of democratic participation, most post-Vietnam era displays have been met with criticism and downright disapproval from large groups of Americans concerned that their sympathy will be misconstrued as gutless whining. Several folks my parents’ age have popped into our protest camps to flat-out apologize for the difficulties we’re facing. “Hey, I just wanted to say it’s amazing what you guys are doing, and on behalf of the protesters of the 60s, we’re really, really sorry for messing this up.” They seem to remember a time when protesting was something to be proud of. And, stigma aside, maybe it still is. When I decided to join the Occupy Wall Street movement, I called my Conservative Christian parents, half-hoping they’d discourage my decision and present a better solution for fixing the gross underrepresentation of America’s majority. Instead, I was met with overwhelming support from both of them. “Frankly, it’s about time people did something about this,” they said. They wished they could tell me the system was fine, and our complaints were minor, but everyone knows, they said, that this is a huge injustice that’s gotten way out of hand.

4. Police brutality still exists. It’s a human responsibility to weigh every aspect of what you’re presented in order to form an educated opinion, and despite having been raised by a police officer and witnessing the system firsthand, I can’t deny what I’m seeing all over. I will still say this: most cops are good people. And most of what you read about cops will inherently be bad, because “good cop” stories are frankly just not that interesting. My dad is a good cop who has fired several bad cops, and he admits they exist. And I respect my dad, possibly more than anyone else in the world. But my dad works in an office in upstate New York, and I’m living in a tent on Los Angeles public property, watching like a hawk the footage of my fellow protesters suffering what are very clear and obvious acts of violence meant to quell a movement which challenges the status quo.

5. On that same token, resentment toward authority by protesters is often misguided and frankly, a terrible idea. If an officer tries to arrest you for peacefully exercising your right to protest in the public square, that officer is wrong. And more than likely, his superior has authorized “use of force” due to “escalating violence” which isn’t actually happening. But if an officer, security guard, or even a manager asks you to remove yourself from private property, that’s it. They have every legal right to do so, and if you argue, you are wrong. Fighting with police because they asked you to do something reasonable and legal just to show them your rebellious attitude is one of the worst things a protester can do for their cause. Many people already label us as clueless hippies who don’t understand how the world works because we refuse to join it. To argue against authority demanding something they’re allowed to demand only reinforces the stereotype that we don’t understand. If you don’t like the fact that many federal buildings are privately owned (I don’t like it either,) make that another goal. But until the law is changed, you must realize that this movement does not hinge on being allowed the use of private property because you want it. This movement is much bigger than that. If someone asks you to move, do it, but don’t forget it. We are the very people who can change the law that allowed them to move us, but it will take time. We should be patient and stay focused on the bigger picture. The more small conflicts we face, the longer it will take. And the sooner the better.

6. There’s nothing actually wrong with being a hippie, except for the fact that it’s uncool. I will likely never go full-hippie, but to discredit the entire subculture as without value seems a bit ignorant. Some cool things about hippies:

- They love love. Sounds like an empty sentiment, but our system could certainly use a little more Jesus-style empathy and human decency. But not too much or then we’d be Europe, right?

- They’re skeptical to the status quo. Skeptical may be an understatement, but they’re an important counter-balance to those individuals who refuse to lose faith and trust in a government that deserves neither.

- They’re extremely welcoming, and often open-minded to the ideas of others. Again, isn’t there something to the claim that America is at least somewhat lacking in those two areas? Some things hippies could maybe work on include mental cognizance, hygiene, and effective public speaking. But they’re important, just like every other American subculture. Let’s not strip them of their validity just yet.

7. A huge amount of people have no idea to what extent America’s major banks have broken laws. The blame lies partially on news articles labeling the banks as “misbehaving” rather than criminal, which is slightly more accurate. I’m just going to throw some things out here right now, and you can take ‘em or leave 'em: Bank of America foreclosed on huge numbers of mortgages which were being paid on time every month. I’ve met two people here so far who were victims of this “robo-signing,” a bank practice where foreclosures were decided by computers. So imagine you had a nice house, paid your mortgage every month, and suddenly, the bank took your house away. And there was nothing you could do. This actually happened to at least hundreds of families around the country. The banks admitted it, and the government is taking its sweet time investigating. More than likely, the banks will reach a settlement with the government where they use the money they made from the illegal practices to prevent any actual punishment. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your day. But you ought to know this.

8. An unusual amount of people at this protest really know their shit. I want to close with a rather profound text message from my tent-mate about why our opposition might exist: “We’re not just up against the direct messages of the 1 percent, but an American mythology of success that many people fiercely cling to. To some, it’s like we’re attacking their religion of personal responsibility. Shaking the roots of their whole belief system, which is why people call us 'losers,’ 'radicals, 'anarchists’ and think we hate America.”

We know what people are saying, and if you’ll give us the time, we’d like to tell you those things aren’t true. We’re here because we love America, and if we didn’t, we would leave. We want the jobs to be here again. And we’re here because nothing we say seems to matter to our legislators as much as the unethically powerful voices of the wealthiest 1%. Corporate America is more than encouraged to make its money, enjoy its success, and be proud of what its earned. But when Corporate America goes beyond the boundaries of our democracy and takes away the voice of the majority, we’re going to set up tents – just to remind you we’re still here.