A Southern California mother-of-two who recently went viral for saying she never returns her shopping cart has now responded to her haters.
Dr Leslie Dobson, a Los Angeles-based clinical and forensic psychologist, with over 300,000 followers across platforms, made the divisive post on TikTok last week.
‘I’m not returning my shopping cart and you can judge me all you want,’ she professed in a clip that has racked up nearly 11 million views.
‘I’m not getting my groceries into my car, getting my children into the car and leaving them in the car to go return the cart. So if you’re gonna give me a dirty look… f*** off.’
As the video garnered views, many began to label Dobson – mother to a two-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter – as ‘entitled’ or a ‘Karen’ and suggested she bring her children with her to return the cart or consider the ‘shopping cart theory’.
But in an interview today with KTLA, she defended her stance, revealed how she’s been dealing with the backlash and why she thinks people are upset.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
Dobson also disclosed that since making the video, she has received death threats and been doxed online.
The mother had already posted another video to hit back at her critics earlier this week.
‘It’s May 31 and about six million people have freaked out over me not returning my shopping cart because my kids are in the car,’ she said in a clip posted to Instagram.
‘So I want to give you some statistics. Last year 265 children were abducted in parking lots in America. Half of those were sexually assaulted.’
While Dobson doesn’t cite her source, the statistic appears comes from a report by a nonprofit called Kids and Car Safety.
The group claimed they determined the number by ‘reviewing news stories’ and acknowledged that law enforcement does not keep statistics on children abducted in this manner, indicating that the figure was unreliable.
‘As a single mom returning your shopping cart you are a prime for a predator to watch and grab you,’ Dobson continued.
She shares two children with her husband Wesley Cook, a clinical psychologist.
Dobson then provided another excuse: returning a shopping cart means leaving a car running and unoccupied, which is illegal in some states.
‘Many comments said that they would turn the car on, leave the air on the kids and go return the shopping cart,’ she said. ‘Well, in Los Angeles in one particular parking lot, that’s at least a 12 minute walk. You could go to jail.’
California vehicle code does not allow a car to stand on any highway or public street, largely as a measure to prevent motor vehicle theft.
In Sacramento, rather than Los Angeles, it is a misdemeanor to leave the ignition key in an unattended vehicle in any public place, including parking lots.