We Are the 99%: A Decade On, the Slogan Still Echoes

By Clive Rowan

In the autumn of 2011, a small group of 100 demonstrators gathered in Zuccotti Park, Manhattan, igniting what would become one of the most resonant protest movements of the 21st century. The Occupy Wall Street campaign, which began in reaction to the financial crisis and widening wealth inequality, gave birth to a now-iconic phrase: We Are the 99%.

This refrain swiftly transcended borders, languages, and ideologies, crystallising a global discontent with economic systems perceived to favour the few at the expense of the many. Coined in part by the late anthropologist David Graeber and disseminated through a Tumblr blog that published firsthand accounts of financial hardship, the slogan became the movement’s unifying voice (Graeber, 2013; Cauterucci, 2021).

Although Occupy Wall Street was frequently criticised for its lack of formal demands or legislative agenda, it redefined how inequality was discussed in mainstream political discourse. Concepts such as “the 1%” and “economic justice” gained political salience, influencing electoral platforms and social movements from Bernie Sanders’ campaigns to climate and racial justice initiatives (Friedman, 2021).

Yet, as political attention shifted and media coverage waned, the infrastructure of Occupy faded. Tents were dismantled, livestreams fell silent, and internal debates over horizontalism and leadership dissolved into digital ether. But the slogan survived. It became, as Graeber had hoped, a tool for consciousness, not simply protest.

Today, the phrase is being revitalised by Occupy 2.5, a decentralised digital movement that blends the original’s ethos with a global, intersectional framework. With roots in worker organising, climate activism, and digital privacy advocacy, Occupy 2.5 adapts its messaging to reflect the realities of a post-pandemic world marked by AI-driven job displacement, inflationary spirals, and soaring corporate profits.

Since December 2024, the campaign has recorded an average of 471 monthly views and 257 monthly visitors across 55 countries on its primary platform, Occupy25.com—an indicator of persistent if quiet global engagement (“We Are the 99%,” 2024). While not a viral phenomenon, it maintains an enduring pulse among those concerned with structural inequality and democratic erosion.

What sets Occupy 2.5 apart is its hybridisation of old and new tactics: storytelling remains central, but the digital agora has shifted from park to platform. Organisers now rely on anonymised networks, federated publishing, and crowd-sourced translation to reach a scattered but committed base.

More than a slogan, We Are the 99% remains a symbol—less a battle cry than a barometer. As central banks debate rate cuts and tech firms post record profits amid widespread precarity, the question lingers: who is listening?

---

References
Cauterucci, C. (2021, September 16). Occupy Wall Street’s legacy runs deeper than you think. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/occupy-wall-street-legacy
Friedman, U. (2021, September 17). Some say Occupy Wall Street did nothing. It changed us more than we think. TIME. https://time.com/6117696/occupy-wall-street-10-years-later
Graeber, D. (2013). The democracy project: A history, a crisis, a movement. Spiegel & Grau.
“We Are the 99%.” (2024). Micropreneur Life. https://micropreneur.life/we-are-the-99/