Shopping cart theory: Difference between revisions
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D'Costas stated that her ''Scientific American'' article "struck a nerve" in a follow-up; on the magazine's [[Facebook]] page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".<ref name=Hauser/> Rogers cited the 4chan's 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".<ref name=Rogers/> |
D'Costas stated that her ''Scientific American'' article "struck a nerve" in a follow-up; on the magazine's [[Facebook]] page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".<ref name=Hauser/> Rogers cited the 4chan's 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".<ref name=Rogers/> |
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In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after [[TikTok]] user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.<ref name=Encinas>{{cite web|last=Encinas|first=Amaris|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/06/05/leslie-dobson-shopping-cart-return/73987501007/|title='You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral|work=[[USA Today]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Sjoberg>{{cite web|last=Sjoberg|first=Brooke|url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/trader-joes-shopping-cart-theory/|title='You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|date=May 31, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.<ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Stechyson/> This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 ''Scientific American'' article.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Barry|url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/opinion/2021/08/20/shopping-cart-chaos-what-we-do-them-speaks-volumes-us/8181237002/|title=Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society|work=[[Times Herald-Record]]|date=August 20, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> She stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness to child abduction.<ref name=Solé>{{cite web|last=Solé|first=Elise|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mom-says-she-never-returns-031658226.html|title=Mom says she never returns grocery cart when she's with kids — and no one else should, either|work=[[ |
In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after [[TikTok]] user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.<ref name=Encinas>{{cite web|last=Encinas|first=Amaris|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/06/05/leslie-dobson-shopping-cart-return/73987501007/|title='You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral|work=[[USA Today]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Sjoberg>{{cite web|last=Sjoberg|first=Brooke|url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/trader-joes-shopping-cart-theory/|title='You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|date=May 31, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.<ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Stechyson/> This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 ''Scientific American'' article.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Barry|url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/opinion/2021/08/20/shopping-cart-chaos-what-we-do-them-speaks-volumes-us/8181237002/|title=Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society|work=[[Times Herald-Record]]|date=August 20, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> She stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness to child abduction.<ref name=Solé>{{cite web|last=Solé|first=Elise|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mom-says-she-never-returns-031658226.html|title=Mom says she never returns grocery cart when she's with kids — and no one else should, either|work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]|via=[[Yahoo!|Yahoo! Lifestyle]]|date=June 6, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> Dobson's video received over 11 million views and received considerable backlash, though she also received messages from users who agreed with her stance, stating they were too afraid to discuss their opinion online themselves.<ref name=Stechyson/><ref name=Fry>{{cite web|last=Fry|first=Hannah|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-03/do-you-return-your-shopping-cart-this-psycologists-answer-enraged-thousands|title=Do you return your shopping cart? A psychologist's answer on TikTok enraged thousands |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 3, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 21:36, 14 June 2024
The shopping cart theory is a social phenomenon which assesses a person's ethics or "goodness", depending on if they return a shopping cart to its designated deposit area. Studies on such behavior have been conducted, though the concept became viral online after a 2020 Internet meme which posits that shopping carts present "the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing."[1][2]
Background and meme
In 2017, an article was published by anthropologist Krystal D'Costa in Scientific American, titled "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?"[3][4] D'Costa's article has been retrospectively referenced by media outlets when discussing the "shopping cart theory" meme,[4][5] which originates from a 4chan post made in May 2020.[6] Nate Rogers of The Ringer wrote that the post "explains in clinical, unwavering terms the massive stakes of" returning the shopping cart.[6] Media writers have written that the post circulated online in 2020, becoming popular on Reddit and other websites, while also becoming a point of debate.[5][7]
Positing that the shopping cart presents a litmus test for a person's capability of self-governing, the original poster further asserted that returning a cart to its designated deposit or rack is "objectively right".[8] The post goes on to state that "returning a cart is "the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it".[9] Ultimately, the poster stated that the "shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."[10][11][12]
Virality and responses
D'Costas stated that her Scientific American article "struck a nerve" in a follow-up; on the magazine's Facebook page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".[5] Rogers cited the 4chan's 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the pandemic") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".[6]
In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after TikTok user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.[2][13] A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.[2][7] This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 Scientific American article.[1] She stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness to child abduction.[14] Dobson's video received over 11 million views and received considerable backlash, though she also received messages from users who agreed with her stance, stating they were too afraid to discuss their opinion online themselves.[7][15]
References
- ^ a b Lewis, Barry (August 20, 2021). "Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c Encinas, Amaris (June 5, 2024). "'You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral". USA Today. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ D'Costa, Krystal (April 26, 2017). "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?". Scientific American. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Hayes, Stephanie (July 15, 2022). "Do you return your shopping cart, or do you choose chaos?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hauser, Christine (June 8, 2021). "Everyone Has a Theory About Shopping Carts". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Rogers, Nate (August 10, 2023). "Think You're a Good Person? That's Up to the Cart Narc and His Camera". The Ringer. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c Stechyson, Natalie (June 5, 2024). "Do you return your grocery cart? A viral video ignited debate over this common courtesy". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Wolforth, Ron. "The Shopping Cart Theory". Texas Baseball Ranch. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Friedman, Nate (April 27, 2021). "Cart narc: New Jersey lawmaker proposes fines for shoppers who leave carts in spaces for disabled". Politico. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Heloise (May 4, 2021). "The shopping cart theory". The Herald-Standard. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Cox, Mike (July 14, 2022). "The Shopping Cart Theory". The Columbia Star. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Joseph, Jisha (April 20, 2024) [May 20, 2020]. "The 'shopping cart theory' supposedly determines who is a good person and who isn't". Scoop Unworthy. Retrieved June 7, 2024 – via MSN.
- ^ Sjoberg, Brooke (May 31, 2024). "'You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Solé, Elise (June 6, 2024). "Mom says she never returns grocery cart when she's with kids — and no one else should, either". Today. Retrieved June 7, 2024 – via Yahoo! Lifestyle.
- ^ Fry, Hannah (June 3, 2024). "Do you return your shopping cart? A psychologist's answer on TikTok enraged thousands". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 7, 2024.