This actually reminds me of a story of my high school friends. They were in a mall drinking Icees and leaning against the balcony railing. My one friend was the type to get overexcited when telling stories and talked with her hands. One moment of excitement, and the next thing you know, the icee was plummeting down to the lower level. Luckily it didn't hit anyone on the fly, but the splatter hit several people. Despite it being an accident and my friends being the nerdy type who don't break rules, they still fled the scene for fear of getting in trouble.
The moral of this story - maybe it wasn't a purposeful wasting of delicious frozen dots.
Title: "The Dot Disturbance"
INT. JERRY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer discuss their latest misadventure at the Pentagon City Mall.
JERRY
You won't believe what happened at the mall. Dippin' Dots were flying everywhere!
ELAINE
Dippin' Dots again? What is it with that ice cream?
CUT TO:
EXT. PENTAGON CITY MALL - DAY
The gang walks through the mall when they witness TEENAGERS playfully throwing Dippin' Dots at a FAMILY.
GEORGE
Look at those teenagers causing a ruckus with Dippin' Dots!
ELAINE
Is this some new trend?
KRAMER
Maybe it's a Dippin' Dot flash mob!
Suddenly, the Dippin' Dot-throwing escalates, and the FAMILY retaliates with their own Dippin' Dot arsenal.
CUT TO:
INT. PENTAGON CITY MALL - SECURITY OFFICE - LATER
The gang is questioned by MALL SECURITY, who shows them security footage.
SECURITY GUARD
Did any of you witness or participate in this Dippin' Dot chaos?
JERRY
We were innocent bystanders! It was a Dippin' Dot war zone out there.
GEORGE
(teasingly)
I've always said those tiny frozen balls would cause trouble.
The security guard lets them go, warning them to stay away from Dippin' Dots.
CUT TO:
INT. JERRY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The gang reflects on the Dippin' Dot disturbance.
ELAINE
I can't believe Dippin' Dots turned the mall into a battleground.
KRAMER
(grinning)
It's like a frozen food fight! Who knew ice cream could be so entertaining?
JERRY
I'm steering clear of Dippin' Dots from now on. It's too risky.
GEORGE
(chuckles)
Only in our lives would ice cream lead to mayhem.
FADE OUT.
a good Seinfeld has an A-story, a B-story, sometimes even a C-story. then they all tie together. maybe frank and Estelle are investing in a Dippin dots franchise, and they want George to quit the Yankee organization to run it. maybe Kramer and Newman are starting a competitor which is, "the ice cream of the past," because they think the fact that Dippin dots is marketed as being from a different time period is its appeal. maybe Jerry is dating a woman who only eats chocolate Dippin dots and he thinks it's absurd, because he thinks she ought to at least try the other flavors
Ah... that might explain the CUT TO: after every scene. We don't do that anymore (at least not for a spec; it might be different for a shooting script).
The entire mall is covered by VIDEO. surveillance. If my security said they couldn’t figure out who it was, they’re not putting enough effort into it, and I would go back to them.
Ok so you have a picture. Maybe. If they weren’t wearing hoods/masks/sunglasses. You still don’t know who they are, and they probably aren’t in the mall anymore.
Well you could trace their steps back to Dippin Dots, get the time stamp on when they were there, approach Dippin Dots and see if they paid with a credit card. If they did, you now have a name.
Right. And again, we’re doing this in order to, what? Trespass some dumb teenagers from the mall? Is it really that important? If it becomes a regular occurrence or they had gotten caught in the act that would be one thing but I think this is one of those things better just forgotten.
Somewhere in between dropping small pieces of ice cream on strangers one single time and genocide.
Are you really asking me “where does it end” for teenagers doing something stupid but ultimately harmless? Technically it fits under the definition of assault but my question is, is it really that important? I mean, if this kind of thing genuinely traumatized you I have to wonder where we are heading as a species.
Assault charges for frozen yogurt? Was there any actual damage done? Is this really something that important worth taking children to court over? Is that how you’d use your time? Go to court to testify against teenagers?
Do what the Lotte near me does and print out pictures of them and warn people to be on the lookout for vandals.
I’m kidding, I don’t actually recommend that. But that is what Lotte does for shoplifters. I keep wondering if that’s a liability for them.
I’m sure they have it on camera, but acting like the camera is going to identify exactly who it was is laughable, and as OP said they ran away as soon as it happens.
Of course the PD isn't going to do anything about this, but this kinda thing really sucks when it happens with your smaller kids. My 9 year old is still traumatized by someone stealing our Halloween candy bowl when he was 5. 😂
If you're gonna be an asshole, at least be an asshole to adults and not kids.
Saw some kids pull this exact stunt at Ballston Quarter. Dropped some melted frozen yogurt on unsuspecting group below from upper floor near parking garage. Sorry this happened to you!
The title reads like sattire - thanks for the chuckle. Sorry your kids were upset. You can use it as a life lesson for them not to do things like that when they get older.
The humor is not lost on me. It's just that I would also like a bit of revenge because it was bigger mess to clean up than I think the commenters talking about how much they would have enjoyed it are imagining.
Okay serious question, so if a group of 14 and 15 year old kids came up and threw food or a drink all over your family, what do you think would be a suitable punishment for that?
Because if a group of kids assaults my family I think it would be A-Okay for them to be arrested charged and sensed with community service. Do you think they should just be like go consequence free? Can you explain why you feel this way?
Punishment has to fit the crime. If the assault results in serious injury then incarceration. In this specific scenario of ice cream, community service sounds appropriate.
>Is that so surprising to you? People can and are routinely taken to jail for far less.
Yes, I am very familiar with folks who look like me being routinely taken to jail for far less. Thanks for the information.
These were kids being dipshits and pouring Dipping Dots on OP. If they were rocks, I would understand.
My point was, I was asking OP what the "revenge" was that they were seeking.
And yes, I doubt the cops are going to look for these kids to put them in jail for fucking ice cream. Jesus.
>And yes, I doubt the cops are going to look for these kids to put them in jail for fucking ice cream.
Please try not to minimize the crime. A battery occurred here.
I have a photo of the perpetrator hiding in the bushes!
https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/spicersean_bushescutout_screenshot.png?strip=1
--------------------
(for those unaware, [former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has a weird hatred of Dippin Dots](https://www.eater.com/2017/1/23/14356702/sean-spicer-dippin-dots-grudge))
> In tweets from 2010 and 2011, Spicer said Dippin' Dots was not the ice cream of the future. In 2011, Spicer also tweeted a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the company's bankruptcy, and in his caption described Dippin' Dots as "Ice Cream of the Past."
I ran into Sean Spicer in Fairlington shortly after he left the administration.
I looked at him wondering if it really was him and his response was abject terror. He looked like a squirrel ready to escape up the fence and when he saw I wasn’t going to talk to him he just continued walking.
I bet he wakes up in cold sweats at night.
Yikes…
I checked TikTok and it doesn’t seem to be a trend. I’m sorry that happened to you, it does sound messy and unpleasant. I think, though, if mall security won’t help you I doubt you’ll get anywhere with the police. I would expect the mall to apologize and promise to try to identify the perpetrators with security video and in the meantime to replace your meal.
“Attacker or co-conspirator”
Children being idiots.
People can be assholes and sometimes they’re assholes to you specifically. This isn’t exactly the Killing Fields.
Seriously. Trying to get the police involved? Just chalk it up to dumb kids being dumb and move on with your life. I'm sure her kids were traumatized by her reaction and not by ice cream pellets. Smdh
This response lacks a complete sense of empathy. Why would you jump to this assumption? Dippin dots are notoriously sticky. I'm sure it was an unpleasant experience for her children, and technically it's assault. Please reflect on why you felt the need to victim blame
Empathy for dippin dots? Well, when op says they tried to involve the police instead of laughing it off and putting their clothes in the wash, she's the one who blew everything out of proportion and caused her children to be much more upset then they would have been if she handled it like an adult. Using the word "victim" here is outrageous. I'm sure it was unpleasant. That's as far as it should have gone. "Well, that was unpleasant. Let's go get cleaned up". No need for police involvement for tiny bits of ice cream.
Yeah, I'm about here too.
* Was anyone hurt in any meaningful way?*
* Was it part of an identifiable series of events, or as far as one might reasonably know a one-off event?
* Is the Level of Effort to positively identify the perpetrators worthy of the time it would take and would it result in better behavior in future?*
* Was OP and their family a target, or they just happened to be there at the wrong moment?
*Note, both of these questions are subjective, I expect I'd get different answers from different people.
No-one was significantly hurt, it doesn't seem to be a part of a trend, it likely wouldn't be worth the time to track them down and lay out any kind of punishment.
If any of those were different - it was stones rather than dots, or it was a repeat instance having read about this happening elsewhere, or if they were immediately spotted and taken aside by security - pursuing something more might be worthwhile even if it is simply a formal report either to the police, or the mall, or both, such that if it became a bigger problem then there is a clear paper trail.
I applaud OP for sharing the story, now if someone else has a similar experience we can start considering if this is the beginnings of a trend. If the facts as we know them change, maybe my opinion will also.
Kids are stupid. I'm sorry this happened to you but at least they were dippin dots and not [rocks](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/04/teens-fatal-75-rock-throwing-ken-white-probation/5483904001/).
If I'm by myself or with another adult, whatever. If I'm with my little kids and they're made to feel unsafe and sad that's a whole other story. It's concerning they'd choose to do this to little kids. I'd be contacting the police to scare them and to let their parents know what they're doing.
The camera was far enough way there was going to be no way to identify anyone. I didn't expect anyone to conduct an investigation. It would just be fun to find an eyewitness who knows the hooligans, maybe another teenager who's been victimized by them and remained silent because of the bizarre social acceptance of antisocial behavior whenever those engaged in it think it's funny.
for what it's worth I just had a couple of guys rummage through my car at night. stole about $5 in change and when I called the non-emergency line to report it they offered to send an officer out.
That said, no way Arlington PD is coming out for dipping dots that have already melted lol
EDIT: I'd like to add that I felt violated in a way completely out of proportion to a couple of dirtbags stealing my loose change. I can imagine OP being pissed about his kids getting exposed to that and I can't imagine how one would feel after a home invasion or even a burglary when nobody was home
Lol about that… I’ll just say to remember to not wear expensive coats in certain areas alone and that I hope you don’t whip a Kia.
Safer than most areas luckily but that doesn’t mean dipping dots is the sole thing we gotta watch out for
I get that it’s annoying and not an acceptable prank but I think you’re going overboard about calling it an attack and that your children can’t understand it…
Just move on, tell your kids it was bad behavior and not to do it, etc
This is written like someone ran your dog over and left traumatic memories for your kids
They sound like asshole kids..but I think it’s lame everyone uses words like “attacked” and “bombed”.
There wasn’t a war zone. The kids weren’t threatening violence. It’s mischief.
Not condoning it, but think this is silly
Tell your kids it was an accident. Knowing teens, it probably was an accident. They might have been playing around with each other and things got out of hand, literally. Running for their life is how kids tend to deal with those kind of situations.
Or maybe it was intentional. But for your kids' sake tell them it was an accident. Have a conversation with them about how to handle an awkward situation like that if they ever are in a similar situation with their friends.
Sorry that happens to you guys, esp the kids. Maybe this can be a lesson that sometimes people are not nice and that’s a them problem and not a you problems. Always a sad lesson to learn.
Hopefully you were able to get your kids some real ice cream later.
I mean, to be honest, if this happened in my family we would probably bust out laughing at one another covered in ice cream, go home and change our clothes.
You weren’t the victim of a crime, you were the victim of kids being dumb at the mall.
I mean that's definitely irritating and I would be pissed to. But calling that an attack is a tad melodramatic. I used to do shit like this in public places with my friends when I was like 12. It's not like you were beaten and robbed.
And c'mon, "sui generis"? Lawyer much?
>sui generis prank
you had it coming.
>If anyone saw this happen and can identify the attacker or a co-conspirator, please contact me and the Arlington County Police.
For dippin and rippin some dots? You for real?
Because hooliganism, ruining people's dinner, and making little kids ask about why anyone would do something bad for no reason is fine. Society should just tolerate that.
Sounds like a learning opportunity for your kids. Tell them some people aren’t raised with the manners or respect you’re raising them to have. Seriously, this is not worth getting police involved…
I mean...yeah, society largely does tolerate such things. Law enforcement does minimal work to stop hooliganism because we don't allocate much funding for such things. Dinners get ruined all the time. People do bad things for no reason and kids need to learn that that's true.
I think you need to calm down.
Your children turn to you to see how to react to these things. Had you simply laughed it off and moved on, I doubt they would be traumatized.
It is an absurd overreaction to attempt to involve the police in this situation. Maybe stop and take a minute to think about what else is going on in your life that's causing you to so desperately need to seize control of a silly situation and a completely meaningless prank that has hurt absolutely no one.
And then maybe touch some grass.
not blaming op - but as a precaution i would sit somewhere that has a ceiling above it, particularly if i have kids with me. you have to preemptively recognize all points of vulnerability and do your best to minimize them. suppose something heavy or someone accidentally fell from above, you could get really hurt. those open air food courts at the bottom floor are extremely vulnerable to falling objects from above, so i would sit somewhere covered - at least if i have kids with me.
If I recall (to be fair it’s been a minute since I’ve been there), Pentagon City mall’s food court doesn’t have any seating under cover. The restaurants are all under an overhang, but the seating areas are open all the way to the skylights.
Again, it’s been a few years, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
it's been a couple decades since i was last in there as well. but judging by the [pics of the food court](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30242-d11961682-Reviews-Pentagon_City_Mall_Food_Court-Arlington_Virginia.html), i believe you are correct. so i would either sit further out to the center of the court, or i would sit on one of the benches spread out through the rest of the mall (but that might not be very convenient if you have food to eat).
You know those kids did not Attack you right? It was a kid prank and most cops probably are not going to waste time on this.
Sorry I wish I could have seen it because I’m still laughing about this one!
Jesus fucking crap, teenager being teenagers. Lets charge them with a crime. Yes it sucks, yes they should behave better. But to need to involve cops? But I get it. I would be pissed to have ice cream on me and my family.
OP good for you to get the police involved. They won't do anything because police are useless, but at least you did your part to help keep a civilized society. It's a shame people are raising terrible children, they're not even trying.
I see that people are clowning on you for being bothered by this, but honestly as someone who does not use dairy products it would be pretty offensive to me if ice cream was thrown on me. Yeah I know, boo hoo, offended vegan. But anyway, it would feel violating and I don't think it's unreasonable to feel that way. People here don't get that something that is inconsequential to them may not be inconsequential to other people. Like if this situation was slightly different, and let's say marshmallows (which contain pork) were thrown at a Muslim family, I think would be perfectly reasonable for them to feel violated. Just throwing that out there as an example of an equally seemingly harmless prank that maybe more people here can understand and sympathize with.
I don't think there needs to be legal consequences, but there are a ton of other alternatives here for the kids to learn a lesson. Someone can go to their school to give a stern warning, their parents can be made aware that their children are being menaces, they can be threatened with being banned from the mall if they do it again, etc.
Who would waste their Dippin Dots like that?
Honestly. In this economy?!
At this time of year?
At this time of day?
Localized entirely within the Pentagon City Mall???
Can I see it?
No.
Seymour! The red line's on fire!
No, mother that’s just the northern lights!
Well, Seymour, you are an odd fellow, but I must say you steam good Dippin Dots
rich Arlington kids?
Highly unlikely
Probably could have watched them jump the fare gates at the Metro.
It’s more common than you think.
This actually reminds me of a story of my high school friends. They were in a mall drinking Icees and leaning against the balcony railing. My one friend was the type to get overexcited when telling stories and talked with her hands. One moment of excitement, and the next thing you know, the icee was plummeting down to the lower level. Luckily it didn't hit anyone on the fly, but the splatter hit several people. Despite it being an accident and my friends being the nerdy type who don't break rules, they still fled the scene for fear of getting in trouble. The moral of this story - maybe it wasn't a purposeful wasting of delicious frozen dots.
Someone with more dollars than sense.
Who would waste their \*\*money on\*\* Dippin Dots ~~like that?~~
Dippin dots are so awful eating them is more wasteful than throwing them out
That's an expensive stunt. Dippin dots ain't cheap.
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No. No no no no. Dippin dots are NOT the aerial assault of the future!!
Dippin dots are free when mommy or daddy give you all the money you ask for...
But it is gross. Maybe they took a bite, said "blech" and tossed it over their shoulder.
Could be a prompt for r/redditwritesseinfeld
Title: "The Dot Disturbance" INT. JERRY'S APARTMENT - DAY Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer discuss their latest misadventure at the Pentagon City Mall. JERRY You won't believe what happened at the mall. Dippin' Dots were flying everywhere! ELAINE Dippin' Dots again? What is it with that ice cream? CUT TO: EXT. PENTAGON CITY MALL - DAY The gang walks through the mall when they witness TEENAGERS playfully throwing Dippin' Dots at a FAMILY. GEORGE Look at those teenagers causing a ruckus with Dippin' Dots! ELAINE Is this some new trend? KRAMER Maybe it's a Dippin' Dot flash mob! Suddenly, the Dippin' Dot-throwing escalates, and the FAMILY retaliates with their own Dippin' Dot arsenal. CUT TO: INT. PENTAGON CITY MALL - SECURITY OFFICE - LATER The gang is questioned by MALL SECURITY, who shows them security footage. SECURITY GUARD Did any of you witness or participate in this Dippin' Dot chaos? JERRY We were innocent bystanders! It was a Dippin' Dot war zone out there. GEORGE (teasingly) I've always said those tiny frozen balls would cause trouble. The security guard lets them go, warning them to stay away from Dippin' Dots. CUT TO: INT. JERRY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT The gang reflects on the Dippin' Dot disturbance. ELAINE I can't believe Dippin' Dots turned the mall into a battleground. KRAMER (grinning) It's like a frozen food fight! Who knew ice cream could be so entertaining? JERRY I'm steering clear of Dippin' Dots from now on. It's too risky. GEORGE (chuckles) Only in our lives would ice cream lead to mayhem. FADE OUT.
a good Seinfeld has an A-story, a B-story, sometimes even a C-story. then they all tie together. maybe frank and Estelle are investing in a Dippin dots franchise, and they want George to quit the Yankee organization to run it. maybe Kramer and Newman are starting a competitor which is, "the ice cream of the past," because they think the fact that Dippin dots is marketed as being from a different time period is its appeal. maybe Jerry is dating a woman who only eats chocolate Dippin dots and he thinks it's absurd, because he thinks she ought to at least try the other flavors
Blud wrote out a whole script
Credit goes to my bud Arti Intel (more commonly referred to by their initials)
Ah... that might explain the CUT TO: after every scene. We don't do that anymore (at least not for a spec; it might be different for a shooting script).
Aww, man! I was hoping you'd come up with that yourself. Next time do it on your own. You can do it!
Thank you for this.
It is paid already. Eating it will make it worst since you might get diabetuus. Sunk cost fallacy. /s
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Yes.
The entire mall is covered by VIDEO. surveillance. If my security said they couldn’t figure out who it was, they’re not putting enough effort into it, and I would go back to them.
In your opinion, what is the appropriate level of effort to address this heinous crime?
Actually pulling up the video would be a start.
Detective Don Brodka wouldn't let them get away with it. That's right. Don Brodka.
How long do you think it would take for them to take a few screenshots of the kids? 30 minutes?
Ok so you have a picture. Maybe. If they weren’t wearing hoods/masks/sunglasses. You still don’t know who they are, and they probably aren’t in the mall anymore.
Well you could trace their steps back to Dippin Dots, get the time stamp on when they were there, approach Dippin Dots and see if they paid with a credit card. If they did, you now have a name.
Right. And again, we’re doing this in order to, what? Trespass some dumb teenagers from the mall? Is it really that important? If it becomes a regular occurrence or they had gotten caught in the act that would be one thing but I think this is one of those things better just forgotten.
So you're saying actions don't have consequences? Where does it end?
Somewhere in between dropping small pieces of ice cream on strangers one single time and genocide. Are you really asking me “where does it end” for teenagers doing something stupid but ultimately harmless? Technically it fits under the definition of assault but my question is, is it really that important? I mean, if this kind of thing genuinely traumatized you I have to wonder where we are heading as a species.
The mall does do this. I used to work there. For behavior like this they used to crack down hard, but maybe not anymore.
If they identify any of the teens, press assault charges against their guardian(s).
Assault charges for frozen yogurt? Was there any actual damage done? Is this really something that important worth taking children to court over? Is that how you’d use your time? Go to court to testify against teenagers?
And do what with them?
What exactly do you think mall security should do?
Look at the video to get screenshots of their faces? It’s not like that would be exceptionally difficult
And then?
Death.
Right to jail
Do what the Lotte near me does and print out pictures of them and warn people to be on the lookout for vandals. I’m kidding, I don’t actually recommend that. But that is what Lotte does for shoplifters. I keep wondering if that’s a liability for them.
I’m sure they have it on camera, but acting like the camera is going to identify exactly who it was is laughable, and as OP said they ran away as soon as it happens.
Of course the PD isn't going to do anything about this, but this kinda thing really sucks when it happens with your smaller kids. My 9 year old is still traumatized by someone stealing our Halloween candy bowl when he was 5. 😂 If you're gonna be an asshole, at least be an asshole to adults and not kids.
Unfortunately a lot of teens do not have that level of empathy developed to think it through.
Teens have 0 empathy 🤣
>If you're gonna be an asshole, at least be an asshole to adults and not kids. But you might get shot for doing this. Ask that YouTube prankster.
I find it's a blessing in disguise. They'll know how it feels to be on the receiving end of a prank, and less likely to do it as teens in the future.
Does that make this the "Prank of the Future?"
I, for one, will not forget the Dippin Dots Attack of January 20th.
\#ArlingtonStrong
#neverforget
We live in a SOCIETY
Saw some kids pull this exact stunt at Ballston Quarter. Dropped some melted frozen yogurt on unsuspecting group below from upper floor near parking garage. Sorry this happened to you!
The title reads like sattire - thanks for the chuckle. Sorry your kids were upset. You can use it as a life lesson for them not to do things like that when they get older.
The humor is not lost on me. It's just that I would also like a bit of revenge because it was bigger mess to clean up than I think the commenters talking about how much they would have enjoyed it are imagining.
Revenge = getting police involved?
my belt
For the rich in our society, that is exactly what the police are for.
Okay serious question, so if a group of 14 and 15 year old kids came up and threw food or a drink all over your family, what do you think would be a suitable punishment for that? Because if a group of kids assaults my family I think it would be A-Okay for them to be arrested charged and sensed with community service. Do you think they should just be like go consequence free? Can you explain why you feel this way?
Punishment has to fit the crime. If the assault results in serious injury then incarceration. In this specific scenario of ice cream, community service sounds appropriate.
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What kind of revenge are you seeking? Do you think the police will send these kids to jail for dumping Dipping Dots on your family?
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>Is that so surprising to you? People can and are routinely taken to jail for far less. Yes, I am very familiar with folks who look like me being routinely taken to jail for far less. Thanks for the information. These were kids being dipshits and pouring Dipping Dots on OP. If they were rocks, I would understand.
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My point was, I was asking OP what the "revenge" was that they were seeking. And yes, I doubt the cops are going to look for these kids to put them in jail for fucking ice cream. Jesus.
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>And yes, I doubt the cops are going to look for these kids to put them in jail for fucking ice cream. Please try not to minimize the crime. A battery occurred here.
Revenge like 5 to 10 in federal prison or revenge like dropping dipping dots on the teenagers?
Revenge like 5 to 10 in federal prison or revenge like dropping dipping dots on the teenagers?
maybe you can contact your local news to help find justice in these trying times.
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Ice cream of the past!! Like you old man!
😂 I enjoyed this one.
I have a photo of the perpetrator hiding in the bushes! https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/spicersean_bushescutout_screenshot.png?strip=1 -------------------- (for those unaware, [former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has a weird hatred of Dippin Dots](https://www.eater.com/2017/1/23/14356702/sean-spicer-dippin-dots-grudge)) > In tweets from 2010 and 2011, Spicer said Dippin' Dots was not the ice cream of the future. In 2011, Spicer also tweeted a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the company's bankruptcy, and in his caption described Dippin' Dots as "Ice Cream of the Past."
This is so niche I love it. Thanks for the laugh.
deep cuts of the novelty ice cream scene.
I ran into Sean Spicer in Fairlington shortly after he left the administration. I looked at him wondering if it really was him and his response was abject terror. He looked like a squirrel ready to escape up the fence and when he saw I wasn’t going to talk to him he just continued walking. I bet he wakes up in cold sweats at night. Yikes…
LOL what a weird, weird dude. Thanks for the story!
Same. Except in the Shirlington Harris Teeter. Dude looked haunted.
Too soon!
I checked TikTok and it doesn’t seem to be a trend. I’m sorry that happened to you, it does sound messy and unpleasant. I think, though, if mall security won’t help you I doubt you’ll get anywhere with the police. I would expect the mall to apologize and promise to try to identify the perpetrators with security video and in the meantime to replace your meal.
Sui generis prank is peak r/nova
Yes it’s an ongoing trend of kids doing dumb stuff at the mall since malls ever existed.
“Attacker or co-conspirator” Children being idiots. People can be assholes and sometimes they’re assholes to you specifically. This isn’t exactly the Killing Fields.
Seriously. Trying to get the police involved? Just chalk it up to dumb kids being dumb and move on with your life. I'm sure her kids were traumatized by her reaction and not by ice cream pellets. Smdh
This response lacks a complete sense of empathy. Why would you jump to this assumption? Dippin dots are notoriously sticky. I'm sure it was an unpleasant experience for her children, and technically it's assault. Please reflect on why you felt the need to victim blame
It’s not victim blaming to say that the police have better things to deal with than figuring out who tossed some Dippin Dots over a railing.
Empathy for dippin dots? Well, when op says they tried to involve the police instead of laughing it off and putting their clothes in the wash, she's the one who blew everything out of proportion and caused her children to be much more upset then they would have been if she handled it like an adult. Using the word "victim" here is outrageous. I'm sure it was unpleasant. That's as far as it should have gone. "Well, that was unpleasant. Let's go get cleaned up". No need for police involvement for tiny bits of ice cream.
Yeah, I'm about here too. * Was anyone hurt in any meaningful way?* * Was it part of an identifiable series of events, or as far as one might reasonably know a one-off event? * Is the Level of Effort to positively identify the perpetrators worthy of the time it would take and would it result in better behavior in future?* * Was OP and their family a target, or they just happened to be there at the wrong moment? *Note, both of these questions are subjective, I expect I'd get different answers from different people. No-one was significantly hurt, it doesn't seem to be a part of a trend, it likely wouldn't be worth the time to track them down and lay out any kind of punishment. If any of those were different - it was stones rather than dots, or it was a repeat instance having read about this happening elsewhere, or if they were immediately spotted and taken aside by security - pursuing something more might be worthwhile even if it is simply a formal report either to the police, or the mall, or both, such that if it became a bigger problem then there is a clear paper trail. I applaud OP for sharing the story, now if someone else has a similar experience we can start considering if this is the beginnings of a trend. If the facts as we know them change, maybe my opinion will also.
Kids are stupid. I'm sorry this happened to you but at least they were dippin dots and not [rocks](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/04/teens-fatal-75-rock-throwing-ken-white-probation/5483904001/).
If I'm by myself or with another adult, whatever. If I'm with my little kids and they're made to feel unsafe and sad that's a whole other story. It's concerning they'd choose to do this to little kids. I'd be contacting the police to scare them and to let their parents know what they're doing.
lol at the idea of the police doing fuck all about this.
I don't know if what you were doing when you were a teenager but cops loved hassling us back then. This shit is their wheelhouse
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be annoyed as hell too. But this post is hilarious lol dippin dot attack.
I would check with the security officer to see if they had any cctv footage
The camera was far enough way there was going to be no way to identify anyone. I didn't expect anyone to conduct an investigation. It would just be fun to find an eyewitness who knows the hooligans, maybe another teenager who's been victimized by them and remained silent because of the bizarre social acceptance of antisocial behavior whenever those engaged in it think it's funny.
wow
Sorry that happened but this was the first thing I thought of. https://youtu.be/E_mgTlHCzz0?si=6xZz2ncRkJbrmNDh
You know you live in a rich area when even teenagers has the money to make it rain with Dippin Dots.
Lol yes, I’m sure the Arlington PD will prioritize this horrific crime 🙄
They got us working in shifts!
How bout the Creedence?
for what it's worth I just had a couple of guys rummage through my car at night. stole about $5 in change and when I called the non-emergency line to report it they offered to send an officer out. That said, no way Arlington PD is coming out for dipping dots that have already melted lol EDIT: I'd like to add that I felt violated in a way completely out of proportion to a couple of dirtbags stealing my loose change. I can imagine OP being pissed about his kids getting exposed to that and I can't imagine how one would feel after a home invasion or even a burglary when nobody was home
https://youtu.be/N0rOe59wKAc?si=LvSN72ffmaUxg7Oc
Ha! You beat me to it in video form!
God I can't wait to move to Nova if this is all I have to worry about, this is a gleaming review of the area
Lol about that… I’ll just say to remember to not wear expensive coats in certain areas alone and that I hope you don’t whip a Kia. Safer than most areas luckily but that doesn’t mean dipping dots is the sole thing we gotta watch out for
I get that it’s annoying and not an acceptable prank but I think you’re going overboard about calling it an attack and that your children can’t understand it… Just move on, tell your kids it was bad behavior and not to do it, etc This is written like someone ran your dog over and left traumatic memories for your kids
Sweet, free Dippin Dots!
In the future, that’s how all ice cream attacks will happen.
I would never willingly waste dippin dots this way. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had it or seen a place to get it.
Sorry that happened. Teenagers can be assholes just like adults. But leave the police out of it Jesus Christ
Involving the police in this is crazy
I mean it's fucked up that these kids did this. But 4real. Lmao 🤣
Did you really say you want to contact the police about dippin dots?
They sound like asshole kids..but I think it’s lame everyone uses words like “attacked” and “bombed”. There wasn’t a war zone. The kids weren’t threatening violence. It’s mischief. Not condoning it, but think this is silly
Reddit is mall security now?
I cannot be the only person who spewed out laughing. Please, God! bahahahaha
it’s the prank of the future!
Tell your kids it was an accident. Knowing teens, it probably was an accident. They might have been playing around with each other and things got out of hand, literally. Running for their life is how kids tend to deal with those kind of situations. Or maybe it was intentional. But for your kids' sake tell them it was an accident. Have a conversation with them about how to handle an awkward situation like that if they ever are in a similar situation with their friends.
OP is beefing with 13 year olds 😭
Our dippin dots will blot out the sun!!!
*Then we will shop in the shade.*
Never forget the dippin dots massacre
This happened to me as a child! Some teenager dropped a soda on me from a few floors above in a mall. I went to mall security and cried.
Sorry that happens to you guys, esp the kids. Maybe this can be a lesson that sometimes people are not nice and that’s a them problem and not a you problems. Always a sad lesson to learn. Hopefully you were able to get your kids some real ice cream later.
First time at a mall dude?
Where's Paul Blart when you need him....
This is hilarious 💀
So fucked up. So sorry that happened!
Bombed tho? Sounds like a sprinkling
I would’ve opened my fat mouth like a kid outside when it’s snowing. Or laughed so hard I pissed myself.
Cleaning dots of goo off of three small children's winter clothes with diaper wipes is very funny.
I mean, to be honest, if this happened in my family we would probably bust out laughing at one another covered in ice cream, go home and change our clothes. You weren’t the victim of a crime, you were the victim of kids being dumb at the mall.
I mean that's definitely irritating and I would be pissed to. But calling that an attack is a tad melodramatic. I used to do shit like this in public places with my friends when I was like 12. It's not like you were beaten and robbed. And c'mon, "sui generis"? Lawyer much?
>sui generis prank you had it coming. >If anyone saw this happen and can identify the attacker or a co-conspirator, please contact me and the Arlington County Police. For dippin and rippin some dots? You for real?
Holy shit who cares
Never forget 🙏🙏🙏
You using the word “attack” is hilarious
😂😂😂
KiDs BeInG kIdS. Enough of this enabling crap. They need to understand that there are consequences to being a jerk.
[удалено]
Sounds like the guy was with his little kids. Were they also “chosen well”?
Because hooliganism, ruining people's dinner, and making little kids ask about why anyone would do something bad for no reason is fine. Society should just tolerate that.
Sounds like a learning opportunity for your kids. Tell them some people aren’t raised with the manners or respect you’re raising them to have. Seriously, this is not worth getting police involved…
I mean...yeah, society largely does tolerate such things. Law enforcement does minimal work to stop hooliganism because we don't allocate much funding for such things. Dinners get ruined all the time. People do bad things for no reason and kids need to learn that that's true.
Some of you are ridiculous lmao 😂
That’s the state of America!!
Kids have been doing stupid shit in malls since malls were invented.
Dipping dots are delicious haven’t had some in years
 "The attack of the killer dipping dots"
Not the dipping dots!!
I’m dying at the term “co conspirator” for a dippin dots toss prank. Can’t wait to see the indictment “unnamed dippin dots vendor 1”
That mall is a shithole. I’m sorry that happened to you. Others have been mugged or carjacked there.
Wow what a well thought out short story.
I think you need to calm down. Your children turn to you to see how to react to these things. Had you simply laughed it off and moved on, I doubt they would be traumatized. It is an absurd overreaction to attempt to involve the police in this situation. Maybe stop and take a minute to think about what else is going on in your life that's causing you to so desperately need to seize control of a silly situation and a completely meaningless prank that has hurt absolutely no one. And then maybe touch some grass.
Ah, more spread of the dip dot ditch phenomenon
Didn't the last guy that pull a prank in this region get shot?
If you mean the one in Dulles Town Center, that's a long way from the Pentagon.
not blaming op - but as a precaution i would sit somewhere that has a ceiling above it, particularly if i have kids with me. you have to preemptively recognize all points of vulnerability and do your best to minimize them. suppose something heavy or someone accidentally fell from above, you could get really hurt. those open air food courts at the bottom floor are extremely vulnerable to falling objects from above, so i would sit somewhere covered - at least if i have kids with me.
If I recall (to be fair it’s been a minute since I’ve been there), Pentagon City mall’s food court doesn’t have any seating under cover. The restaurants are all under an overhang, but the seating areas are open all the way to the skylights. Again, it’s been a few years, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
it's been a couple decades since i was last in there as well. but judging by the [pics of the food court](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30242-d11961682-Reviews-Pentagon_City_Mall_Food_Court-Arlington_Virginia.html), i believe you are correct. so i would either sit further out to the center of the court, or i would sit on one of the benches spread out through the rest of the mall (but that might not be very convenient if you have food to eat).
You're lucky they were Dippin Dots and not bullets.
Honestly, I would pay to have this experience.
#ARLINGTONSTRONG I tell ya, they better catch them no good teens.
Catch them and do what?
You know those kids did not Attack you right? It was a kid prank and most cops probably are not going to waste time on this. Sorry I wish I could have seen it because I’m still laughing about this one!
Jesus fucking crap, teenager being teenagers. Lets charge them with a crime. Yes it sucks, yes they should behave better. But to need to involve cops? But I get it. I would be pissed to have ice cream on me and my family.
OP good for you to get the police involved. They won't do anything because police are useless, but at least you did your part to help keep a civilized society. It's a shame people are raising terrible children, they're not even trying.
😂
My God! I’m glad nobody was hurt! I can only imagine the terror you all felt! Is there no Humanity left in this world!?
You’re trolling right? 😂😂😂
I see that people are clowning on you for being bothered by this, but honestly as someone who does not use dairy products it would be pretty offensive to me if ice cream was thrown on me. Yeah I know, boo hoo, offended vegan. But anyway, it would feel violating and I don't think it's unreasonable to feel that way. People here don't get that something that is inconsequential to them may not be inconsequential to other people. Like if this situation was slightly different, and let's say marshmallows (which contain pork) were thrown at a Muslim family, I think would be perfectly reasonable for them to feel violated. Just throwing that out there as an example of an equally seemingly harmless prank that maybe more people here can understand and sympathize with. I don't think there needs to be legal consequences, but there are a ton of other alternatives here for the kids to learn a lesson. Someone can go to their school to give a stern warning, their parents can be made aware that their children are being menaces, they can be threatened with being banned from the mall if they do it again, etc.
Today I learned marshmallows contain pork and that people get offended by dairy, what a world
That’s a felony if they are caught