I believe the 99% and the 1% existed back in the Jim Crow era & segregation and racism were tools the 1% (the ruling class) used to keep the lower class divided.
By the 1960's, enough people saw through the old racist laws and that instrument of repression and exploitation lost a lot of its effectiveness. It has been replaced by prisons and jails and police power which have all multiplied since the 1960's.
This is true...they must keep the populous divided...this has been an age old tactic that is as old as time itself... division and control of information/education/wisdom. It still works just as good now as it did then, certainly a perfect example of "if it ain't broke don't fix it"..
However, it is done through media now...much easier with technology for the few to control the many (something never seen before in history)...then add that control to the removal of education/wisdom/critical thinking it makes the media's effective rate beyond 90 percent.
The media tells us there is a race war, so the dumbed down populous says ok and that is their mentality...even though that died decades ago. If the media said there is no race war, we are all equal, judge people for whom they are inside and call everyone by their name and not color...6 months things would start to stabilize.
Though this will never happen because of those that truly pull the strings as mentioned above. I don't be presidents or anything of the above...these people stay in the shadows (they have to), their names are taboo even by the highest officials (look at Kennedy, and he never even said a name, he just hit to close and went after the federal reserve), the only way you can get close is follow the money...even then you need to weed through C corps Galore to find anything.
Anyone buying into class wars or race/gender wars are simply falling into the trap and doing the biddings of those truly pulling the strings....so stop it!!