--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar…" description: "\"“There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives to look down on them as the leftovers of the mainstream economy, implying that if these ideo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg" --- # There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives… ![“There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives to look down on them as the leftovers of the mainstream economy, implying that if these ideologically driven people simply reorganized themselves into “normal” private companies, they would be more efficient and productive. In fact, just…” quote by Michael Shuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg) > ““There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives to look down on them as the leftovers of the mainstream economy, implying that if these ideologically driven people simply reorganized themselves into “normal” private companies, they would be more efficient and productive. In fact, just the opposite is true: Cooperatives often enter into economic activities that private businesses will not take on. The most fertile period of cooperative growth was during the Great Depression. Rural electric cooperatives spread across the American plains when it became clear that other investor-owned and municipally owned utilities were uninterested in wiring up sparsely populated regions. Credit unions, as we’ll soon explore, have seen an upsurge during the recent financial crisis.”” Michael Shuman ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An argument that cooperatives are often undervalued, showing they fill gaps left by private firms, especially during crises, and have historically thrived when mainstream entities ignored needs. **In simple terms:** Cooperatives serve needs that private firms ignore, especially in crises. Key Takeaway Support cooperative models for underserved communities. Themes economics cooperatives crisis response history community development Mood informative optimistic Type Cooperatives:1 Financial crisis:1 Great depression:1 Cooperative Growth:1 Cooperatives Spread:1 Electric Cooperatives:1 Unfamiliar Cooperatives:0 When to use this quote - rural development - financial planning - social entrepreneurship Key Concepts sociology policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can cooperatives sustain growth? - What policies encourage cooperative formation? A Different Perspective Cooperatives may face scaling challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cooperatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperatives/) [Financial crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-crisis/) [Great depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-depression/) ## Related quotes > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Widely dispersed knowledge concerning the important role of basic cooperative processes among living beings may lead to the acceptance of cooperation as a guiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warder-clyde-allee/widely-dispersed-knowledge-concerning-the-important-role-of-basic/) Warder Clyde Allee > [A cooperative enterprise is the key alternative to a traditional capitalist enterprise. All the workers, whatever they do inside an enterprise, have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-wolff/a-cooperative-enterprise-is-the-key-alternative-to-a-traditional/) [Richard D. Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-wolff/) > [When we talk about economic growth, we're not talking about bringing a bunch of companies in that can make a bunch of bucks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chokwe-lumumba/when-we-talk-about-economic-growth-we-re-not-talking-about-bringing-a/) [Chokwe Lumumba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chokwe-lumumba/) > [“It has been often said that the winners write history. Cooperatives have been widespread and important in many periods of American history, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-curl/it-has-been-often-said-that-the-winners-write-history-cooperatives/) John Curl > [The entire cosmos is a cooperative. The sun, the moon, and the stars live together as a cooperative. The same is true for humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddhadasa/the-entire-cosmos-is-a-cooperative-the-sun-the-moon-and-the-stars/) [Buddhadasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddhadasa/) > [In poetry compromise is fatal. In action of any cooperative sort it is inevitable. The thing is to find the balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/in-poetry-compromise-is-fatal-in-action-of-any-cooperative-sort-it-is/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [The only way to change American society, and indeed I think this is true of other societies as well, is for people to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-fox-piven/the-only-way-to-change-american-society-and-indeed-i-think-this-is/) [Frances Fox Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-fox-piven/) > [The challenge is whether China as a rising country, the United States as the superpower, can develop a cooperative relationship in this period before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-challenge-is-whether-china-as-a-rising-country-the-united-states/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] decided to leave more troops than he had originally planned in Afghanistan. We have a very cooperative government there, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-president-barack-obama-decided-to-leave-more-troops-than-he-had/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The word "collective" is not so often used because it has been basically used by socialists and communists and has a different history. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-wolff/the-word-collective-is-not-so-often-used-because-it-has-been/) [Richard D. Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-wolff/) > [Private enterprise manages better all that to which it is equal. Anarchism declares that private enterprise, whether individual or cooperative, is equal to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/private-enterprise-manages-better-all-that-to-which-it-is-equal/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [I can imagine people actually working in virtual environments where productive, cooperative work is undertaken, and I think we will find people helping others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-can-imagine-people-actually-working-in-virtual-environments-where/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are ordinary spaces where people do, more or less, share neighbourhoods. In Haifa, there are whole communities that are more or less integrated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/there-are-ordinary-spaces-where-people-do-more-or-less-share/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) ## More by Michael Shuman > [“an example the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (SNFC). We have approximately twelve thousand members, and the median income for a family of four in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shuman/an-example-the-sacramento-natural-foods-co-op-snfc-we-have/) Michael Shuman Explore all 2 Michael Shuman quotes ## More Cooperatives quotes > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I can imagine people actually working in virtual environments where productive, cooperative work is undertaken, and I think we will find people helping others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-can-imagine-people-actually-working-in-virtual-environments-where/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [Private enterprise manages better all that to which it is equal. Anarchism declares that private enterprise, whether individual or cooperative, is equal to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/private-enterprise-manages-better-all-that-to-which-it-is-equal/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [The word "collective" is not so often used because it has been basically used by socialists and communists and has a different history. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-wolff/the-word-collective-is-not-so-often-used-because-it-has-been/) [Richard D. Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-wolff/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] decided to leave more troops than he had originally planned in Afghanistan. We have a very cooperative government there, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-president-barack-obama-decided-to-leave-more-troops-than-he-had/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The challenge is whether China as a rising country, the United States as the superpower, can develop a cooperative relationship in this period before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-challenge-is-whether-china-as-a-rising-country-the-united-states/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [The only way to change American society, and indeed I think this is true of other societies as well, is for people to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-fox-piven/the-only-way-to-change-american-society-and-indeed-i-think-this-is/) [Frances Fox Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-fox-piven/) > [In poetry compromise is fatal. In action of any cooperative sort it is inevitable. The thing is to find the balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/in-poetry-compromise-is-fatal-in-action-of-any-cooperative-sort-it-is/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [The entire cosmos is a cooperative. The sun, the moon, and the stars live together as a cooperative. The same is true for humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddhadasa/the-entire-cosmos-is-a-cooperative-the-sun-the-moon-and-the-stars/) [Buddhadasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddhadasa/) > [“It has been often said that the winners write history. Cooperatives have been widespread and important in many periods of American history, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-curl/it-has-been-often-said-that-the-winners-write-history-cooperatives/) John Curl > [When we talk about economic growth, we're not talking about bringing a bunch of companies in that can make a bunch of bucks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chokwe-lumumba/when-we-talk-about-economic-growth-we-re-not-talking-about-bringing-a/) [Chokwe Lumumba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chokwe-lumumba/) > [A cooperative enterprise is the key alternative to a traditional capitalist enterprise. All the workers, whatever they do inside an enterprise, have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-wolff/a-cooperative-enterprise-is-the-key-alternative-to-a-traditional/) [Richard D. Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-wolff/) > [Widely dispersed knowledge concerning the important role of basic cooperative processes among living beings may lead to the acceptance of cooperation as a guiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warder-clyde-allee/widely-dispersed-knowledge-concerning-the-important-role-of-basic/) Warder Clyde Allee > [There are ordinary spaces where people do, more or less, share neighbourhoods. In Haifa, there are whole communities that are more or less integrated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/there-are-ordinary-spaces-where-people-do-more-or-less-share/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) [Browse all 135 Cooperatives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperatives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives to look down on them as the leftovers of the mainstream economy, implying that if these ideologically driven people simply reorganized themselves into “normal” private companies, they would be more efficient and productive. In fact, just the opposite is true: Cooperatives often enter into economic activities that private businesses will not take on. The most fertile period of cooperative growth was during the Great Depression. Rural electric cooperatives spread across the American plains when it became clear that other investor-owned and municipally owned utilities were uninterested in wiring up sparsely populated regions. Credit unions, as we’ll soon explore, have seen an upsurge during the recent financial crisis.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Shuman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shuman/there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar-with-cooperatives-to-look/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cooperatives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shuman/there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar-with-cooperatives-to-look/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/michael-shuman-96234_financial-crisis_there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar_2184132.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar with cooperatives to look down on them as the leftovers of the…” — Michael Shuman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Shuman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shuman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There’s a tendency for those unfamiliar...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shuman/there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar-with-cooperatives-to-look/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shuman/there-s-a-tendency-for-those-unfamiliar-with-cooperatives-to-look/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```