Comments on: Freddy and Joel’s Muy Cupcakery

By: Lillian

Lillian — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:06:46 +0000

I didn’t particularly like the TIME article either. For me, it was just confusing when Joel was being serious and when he was kidding / trying to be funny.

When I read the $4.00 vs 0$.80 price, it seemed like Joel was poking fun at himself for being unaware of the difference in standard of living. However, I didn’t like that he tried to include himself in the bakery’s name or the remark about the new head chef, as if someone he was now in charge, and running the show.

I agree that this blog post was far better/informative than the TIME article. I think if I had been learning about Kiva for the first time through the TIME article, I would have been very confused and turned off.

By: John Briggs

John Briggs — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:52:31 +0000

Oy! This is such fine work, Whitney. Juggling the phone, CEPRODEL-Kiva client Freddy, Giovanna and Fiona, and professional funnyman Stein is a feat.

Kiva, the website, is good at transmitting information about borrowers to lenders, but was not designed to be a means of getting communication from lenders to borrowers. This is one of those rare cases where a Kiva-funded borrower actually got an earful from a borrower, though carefully staged.

As for those who are down on Joel: lighten up. In person, he’s a meek, shy and withdrawn man with a bad case of agoraphobia. His conceit is a part of his humor — it’s just a device he uses when writing.

By: SAVORING KENTUCKY » Cupcakes and Lemon Posset Redux

SAVORING KENTUCKY » Cupcakes and Lemon Posset Redux — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:36:26 +0000

[...] “Speaking of cupcakes, here is a blog post by a Kiva.org volunteer in Managua, Nicaragua, Whitney, who recently wrote about her experience translating an interview between Freddy Castillo Luna, an entreprenuer and owner of a cupcake store, and a lender, journalist Joel Stein of Time Magazine. http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/12/08/freddy-and-joels-muy-cupcakery/ [...]

By: Gabriella

Gabriella — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:49:54 +0000

I am a Time Magazine subscriber and I always read Joel Stein’s articles, I find him funny, interesting and very insightful. I must say that even though I already knew of microlending prior to reading this article, it was this article that got me interested in microlending and particularly kiva.org. I have now made my first 3 loans and hope to make many more in the future. It is unbelievable to me that people would be offended by this article and/or Joel Stein, going as far as saying that he is a “rich US comedian making fun and money out of a poor entrepreneur” and calling the article “extremely patronizing”. I find that people that get high and mighty are the ones that are patronizing, simple because they think they are on a higher moral ground, because they are helping these “poor entrepreneur” in these poor countries. I’m sure some of you may even think Daniel Ortega (the president of Nicaragua) is a saint and a godsend to the poor of Nicaragua when in realty he is destroying the country for the second time around. I was born and raised in Nicaragua, I know what is like, the houses with dirt floors, the road full of potholes, the children in street corners cleaning your windshield with dirty rags, the crime, and corruption. All this things are part of Nicaragua, but there is also a lot of good, including its wonderful people who are trying to make the best with what they got, who deserve this loans and yes a $750.00 donation is a lot of money in a country were a good salary is about $150.00 per month. So I hope Joel Stein article inspires others they way it did me, as I will be lending beyond Nicaragua and to other parts of the world, in the end that is what this article was about.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:45:40 +0000

Like people have already mentioned, your post is a heck of a lot better than Joel’s article – more culturally sensitive and quite frankly, just more interesting. Kiva is a great organization and deserves lots of press attention but hopefully in the future, stories will be more thoughtful than what Joel delivered.

By: Marlene

Marlene — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:38:18 +0000

Great story, Whitney! I’ve been on three mission trips to Nicaragua in two years and love the gracious, beautiful people there. We can learn much from them. You handled everything perfectly! I am relatively new to KIVA and was excited to see so many Nica businessmen and women applying for loans and receiving support. There is much hope in that country and KIVA is connecting folks who want to see good things happen there. And however one interprets Joel’s article, perhaps it will alert a few more willing lenders to the great work KIVA is doing. Thank you!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:04:27 +0000

I agree with Elizabeth and Jan & John. Joel’s article was extremely patronizing, which I don’t think is the culture of Kiva at all. I love being a microlender but I don’t try to attach my name to the front of other’s businesses. I thought his arrogance showed most profoundly with the paragraph that opened, “Freddy, who proved to be a far smarter businessman than I had expected…” Hmmm, hasn’t Freddy been running his bakery for 14 years? The comment about Joel worrying about having to bring in a new head chef was also pretty obnoxious. Who is this guy?

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:25:27 +0000

I also found something distasteful about Joel’s uninvited “expert,” American, micromanagement. Hopefully Freddy will find what works best for his business. At the least, Joel is encouraging Freddy to think outside the box. I hope this doesn’t lead to overerly excited medling by other Kiva lenders. Also, I am concerned about encouraging people to start importing non-native foods instead of a more sustainable development using native foods (in Freddy’s case). It will benefit the local economy more if he uses foods produced locally. The American model of importing everything is not what we want to teach the rest of the world. Sustainable, locally and responsibly produced goods and services is the goal, not the American version of economic developement.

By: James MacKenzie

James MacKenzie — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:38:11 +0000

Great blog. And I particularly liked the comparison of the donations vs loans as one can very easily imagine how they differ.

By: Sierra Visher

Sierra Visher — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:23:52 +0000

Whitney, I think you did something really amazing here. I totally understand the logistical and technical difficulties that presented themselves here, and think that you handled them expertly.

It must have been exciting for Freddy, interesting for Joel, and tense all around.

Buen hecho!

By: Jan & John

Jan & John — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:08:09 +0000

Thanks, Whitney. I appreciate your posting a lot.

When I read Joel’s column, I read only disrespect. I read a rich US comedian making fun and money out of a poor entrepreneur. I do hope Freddy has not been led down any garden path with false promises or given reason to think he has won some kind of lottery. I am glad he got something out of the deal (a big $750, I am sure will go further in his country than it would here in Canada).

I am happy to hear you were sensitive to Freddy’s emotions because I still feel he was used shamelessly as a PR gimmick. Thank you again for posting, you are doing a difficult job on behalf of Kiva and all the borrowers and lenders. Jan

By: Kieran Ball (KF6)

Kieran Ball (KF6) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:07:16 +0000

Hey Whitney, I read the article and thought it was hilarious, and it was great to hear how it was put together. I thought the introduction of cupcakes to Nicaragua was just a joke but apparently not! Good luck to Freddy and Joel. I think a dash of Flor de Caña rum would help keep the cup cakes moist.

Did Freddy get a copy of the article/magazine/web page? I would love to know what he thought of it. I imagine it would be a bit like that the bit in Zoolander where Derek says “yeah well, fortunately for you, not too many people I know read your little ‘Time Magazine’ or whatever it’s called”.