The 99 Percent Solution

The evolution of the slogan heard ’round the world.


July 13 Adbusters proposes Occupy Wall Street.
August 9 OWS supporters in New York City hold a meeting for “We, the 99%.”
September 8

We Are the 99 Percent Tumblr launches.

September 17 Occupy Wall Street protesters take Zuccotti Park.
October 3

#OccupySesameStreet Twitter hashtag takes off.

October 5 Anti-OWS We Are the 53% Tumblr mocks the 47 percent who supposedly don’t pay taxes (not true).
October 6 Joe Biden slams banks on behalf of “99 percent of the American people.”
October 6

Rush Limbaugh declares occupiers “perpetually lazy, spoiled rotten, 99 percent white kids.”

October 7 Trademark applications are filed for “I Am the 99%” and “We Are the 99%.”
October 7 “The 99% Declaration” calls for national general assembly.
October 10 Mitt Romney says, “I worry about the 99 percent.”
October 11 We Are the 1 Percent: We Stand With the 99 Percent Tumblr launches. Actually, You’re the 47% Tumblr pokes fun at the 53-percenters.
October 14 We Are the 1%, Bitches Tumblr launches.
October 15 We Are the 99 Purrcent cat-themed Tumblr launches.
October 16 White House spokesman says Obama will represent “the interests of the 99 percent of Americans.”
October 17

Awwccupy Wall Street baby-themed Tumblr launches.

October 17 Trademark application is filed for “Part of the 1%.”
October 21

Trademark application is filed for “The words ‘occupy this’ with an arrow pointing down.”

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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