We all love to scoff at sensational, low-brow journalism -- perpetually rehashing past scandals, eluding substance.

But when Mayor Robertson dismissed a critic last summer with the following infamously recorded words, who knew the guy would come back for revenge on the campaign trail: "Who are all these fuckin' -- who are these hacks man? Are they they NPA hacks?"

But how else could one begin writing about Randy Helten's campaign for mayor -- and his upstart Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV)'s bid for council -- without referencing what he calls "the f-bomb incident."

Quixotic spoilers, some would say. David versus Goliath: another, more sympathetic, cliché.

A common trope has emerged on radio talk shows, online media and the daily papers as Occupy Vancouver struggles against an increasingly hostile city hall, opportunistic electoral candidates and the justice system: the movement has alienated itself from the majority of Vancouverites even though that majority claims to support the stated goals of the global occupation. For anyone who has visited the art gallery lawns and is familiar with the struggles and demands voiced by the occupiers, this accusation should be infuriating.