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What's The Story Behind 'I Saw Flying Lotus At A Grocery Store' And Is It True? The Celebrity Copypasta Explained
One of the internet's favorite copypastas was posted as a supposed story back in early 2012, and it's gone on to confuse fans of celebrities for many years. Since then, it's become a topic of debunking, memes, reposts and much more.
But what really is this story, what does it mean, is it true, and why has it become such an entertaining copypasta? Here's the full story behind "I saw Flying Lotus in a grocery store."
Where Did The Flying Lotus Copypasta Originate?
The copypasta first appeared on 4chan on June 29th, 2012, when an anonymous user on the /mu/ messageboard shared an elaborate story about meeting record producer and rapper Flying Lotus in an LA grocery store. The story describes how rude Flying Lotus acted towards both him and store staff members.
Here's the whole thing:
I saw Flying Lotus at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a d***he and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.
He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
Needless to say, the story doesn't seem to be true. Some people looked into it, including Snopes, but ultimately, there's no reason to believe Flying Lotus did any of this. It is, however, pretty funny to imagine, especially for confused Flying Lotus fans.
How Is The Flying Lotus Copypasta Used Online?
In reusing the copypasta, people will typically copy the whole thing and replace Flying Lotus's name with the name of another celebrity (as well as any relevant pronouns, when necessary). The idea is to make a celebrity look unreasonably rude since those who aren't "in the know" might think the copypasta is an actual story being recollected.
Often, the copypasta appears under posts that praise or share appreciation of certain celebrities. For instance, if someone were to praise Taylor Swift or show pictures from one of her concerts, the copypasta may appear, looking like this:
I saw Taylor Swift at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told her how cool it was to meet her in person, but I didn’t want to be a d***he and bother her and ask her for photos or anything.
She said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but she kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing her hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard her chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw her trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in her hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Ma'am, you need to pay for those first.” At first she kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, she stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, she kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
For the full history of "I saw Flying Lotus at a grocery store," be sure to check out "Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.
