The one percenters are not popular these days. Steve Jobs started from the bottom quartile of wealth and made into the one percent club. He lived the supposedly dead American Dream. Apple began in a garage. It was started by two broke college dropouts. There was once a time in America when men like Jobs were celebrated for what they did. Today they are capitalist villains.
At a time when computers took up entire rooms and only wealthy organizations could afford them Apple brought the computer into our homes and changed our lives. One Christmas morning way back in the 1980’s there was a collection of rather large boxes under our tree. Inside the boxes was a brand new Apple IIC personal computer. At the time this machine was the cutting edge of computer technology. What made it special was the built in floppy disk drive. Yeah, it still took those 5”x5” black floppy disks that held a whopping 1.2 MB, but that thing was cool! What is even cooler is my parents, a school bus driver and an accounting clerk, could afford one.
The model IIC did not last long. Both the early Macs some of us learned to type on and the one you bought last year are now obsolete. Along the way Apple has had to continually innovate. The IIE, IIC, Mac, Macbook, I Pod, I Phone and I Pad are all remarkable products that have changed the world we live in.
It is ironic that a great number of people are in the streets protesting men like Jobs. They are taking photos and capturing video from their I Phones and uploading them onto the internet for the world to see on Macs. All of it made possible by a one percenter.
Steve Jobs did not complain about not having his fair share. He went out and created something of value. People wanted what he was selling. He became a one percenter solely by serving the needs and desires of his fellow man.
This year there will be a small rectangular box under our tree. Inside will be an IPad for our children. I am an unemployed college graduate and my wife is a quality inspector. We are near the bottom of the 99% and the amazing thing is we can still afford an I Pad for our children.
Thank you Steve Jobs!
Aaa, I read "a small rectangular box under our tree" as "the economy has hurt us" or something of the sort and I felt "awww." Then I realized iPads are smaller than the old Macs :P
I like this essay, TANSTAAFL. It shows that not all the "one-percenters" are (all) bad.
The keyboard is mightier than the gun.
Non parit potestas ipsius auctoritatem.
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