Delivering the commencement address at Wesleyan on May 24th, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) inadvertently demonstrated the success of a century-spanning smear campaign against a single historically significant term. Murphy had a powerful piece of advice for the graduating class: Resist efficiency.
“Every day, technology companies are rolling out new products that cut the time it takes to do everything in your life, from eating to shopping, to dating, from getting [from] one place to another,” the senator said. “These aren’t products designed to make you happier. These are products designed to make you more efficient . . . Our entire economy is built on rewarding companies that are efficient at making a profit, not based upon how they treat their workers, the social value of their product or the impact they have on the community.”
