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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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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