Zero Percent

A story that blew up online yesterday concerned a supposed one percent tip left by a wealthy banker in California.  An employee of the banker supposedly captured the tip on his phone and posted it on a blog, which was quickly taken down due to high traffic volume.  Here is what the employee wrote about his boss, the banker:

“Mention the ’99 percent’ in my boss’ presence and feel his wrath. So proudly does he wear his 1 percent badge of honor that he tips exactly 1 percent every time he feels the server doesn’t sufficiently bow down to his Holiness. Oh, and he always makes sure to include a ‘tip’ of his own.”

Of course this played right into the 1% vs. the 99% illusion brought on by Occupy Wall Street and perpetuated by the media.  Stories detailing the one percent tip overflowed with bromides about the "growing income gap" and some sites paired the story with an ABC article titled "Are Rich People Unethical?" 

But it was all a hoax.  And everyone played their parts to perfection.