David T. Beito

Beito does a very good job exploring the number of ways in which traditional fraternal organizations, founded on the principles of mutual aid, promoted social welfare in the U.S. until the rise of the welfare state in the Great Depression. The widespread and achievements are indeed impressive. But he skirts very lightly around the very selective nature of mutual aid, which appears to weed out those most in need of aid. If even the fraternal organizations of the poor won't help these (the mentally ill, those in need of rehabilitation, those with a predisposition to illness), who will? Additionally, Beito's criticism of the concept of "service" in chapter 11 suggests an ideological prejudice in favor of the concept of self-interest, and has some very distasteful implications.… (meer)