The California married mother of two whose TikTok video on why she wouldn’t return her shopping cart at the grocery store, Dr. Leslie Dobson, not only refused to back down from her embarrassing and viral TikTok video, but even went on television to defend her decision and claim that she has no reason to leave her kids alone to observe social niceties.
In the TikTok video, which has since garnered over 11 million views, Dr. Dobson said, “I’m not returning my shopping cart, and you can judge me all you want.” Continuing, she said that she takes a while to buckle up her kids and load her groceries, at which point she has no intention of “leaving them in the car to go return the cart.” Then, making a vulgar comment, she said, “So if you’re gonna give me a dirty look, f— off.”
Predictably, viewers were infuriated and the video went viral, with commenters leaving many remarks showing how disappointed they were in her anti-social behavior. One, for example, wrote, “If you can get the cart, you can return the cart. Look up the shopping cart theory.” Another added, “I absolutely believe in the shopping cart theory. Maybe the return was across the lot, maybe it was literally across from the spot where you parked. Either way the theory holds true.”
Dobson, in response, implied that she felt “unsafe” at the idea of having to return her shopping cart in the grocery store parking lot, writing, “I want women to feel empowered to trust their intuition if they feel unsafe, ignore judgment. Risk isn’t worth it and our lives are precious. I have seen lives destroyed. I hope you never don’t.”
Watch the ridiculous video here:
Dr. Dobson didn’t back down. After receiving much backlash, she went on KTLA 5 Weekend Morning News and again claimed that returning the shopping cart is a safety issue. She said, “Coming from the mindset of someone who has worked with predators for 20 years, I know how they think, and I know what they look for, and that is a vulnerable moment.”
She continued, claiming it’s a mere “social nicety” to return it and that it is unsafe to have unloaded groceries and then return the cart, saying, “When you return to your car, you have already been watched for a significant amount of time, so if you are choosing social niceties over protecting your children, I just wanted to say that you don’t have to.”
She added, “I am shocked, but I am also very happy, because I’ve received hundreds — maybe to the point of even thousands – of messages from moms saying, ‘I pulled into the spot, I’m looking at my surroundings, and I’m more aware now.’ I know the video was provocative, but that’s what I wanted… I wanted to grab attention. It’s the bigger picture of ‘We need to empower ourselves to trust our intuitions.'” She then said, “We have taken power back from predators because now, this is a worldwide conversation, which I am shocked by.”
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