Disney Abduction or Urban Myth? [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Bill From PA

01-10-2009, 12:55 PM

Here's one my wife heard at work from someone who heard it from her hairdresser's daughter, yeah, I know, one never hears it from the person directly.

The mom and dad were pushing a baby carriage with their 4 month old baby inside through a crowd of people. The mom turned to talk to the dad and when she looked in the carriage the baby was gone. She started screaming and plain-clothed security people surrounded them asking them for information on their child. She said all the gates were locked and nobody could get in or out of the park until the child was found.
When the child was found she had different clothes on and her hair was dyed a different color. They were told that this has happened before and they recommend that children wear high top tied sneakers because they are harder to get off and that the parents are asked to identify their children through their shoes. To identify their child, parents need to recognize their shoes because they do not show the full picture of the child.

Any truth to this?

Thanks,
Bill From PA

dqpowell

01-10-2009, 12:58 PM

It's a classic urban myth, not always tied to Disney. I've seen the same story set in Walmart. You should be able to find something about it at snopes.com.

David

Presentation

01-10-2009, 12:59 PM

Hoax

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

Suellen

01-10-2009, 01:00 PM

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

Untrue...

Bill From PA

01-10-2009, 01:09 PM

Thanks, I pegged it as BS when she told me, but she's a Believer.

Bill From PA

Bounce_Tigger

01-10-2009, 01:28 PM

As stated, it is untrue, but why on earth would anyone think that a person that would go to great lengths - to dye hair and to change clothes, would not think to remove SNEAKERS? And high-tops might be tough to untie, but it would take no time at all for someone to do so.
I guess I don't get why someone would hear this story and assume that wearing a certain type of shoe would be the solution.

lisadr

01-10-2009, 01:57 PM

Not that I buy in to this one, but one of my regular customers has a daughter who has worked for Disney(Aurora, in the parks, etc.) and he always says that things happen at Disney that the public NEVER gets wind of. Murders, rapes, etc. I don't have much of an opinion on it because I grew in in NYC and if there's one thing I know is never take anything for granted. I watch my DD like hawk and am always aware of my surroundings.

Oh-I did hear this from a CM at the monorail. It's not uncommon for parents who live in FL to drop their kids off at WDW and leave them there! Like 6-7 years olds!:scared1: THAT blew me away!

Robo

01-10-2009, 01:59 PM

As stated, it is untrue, but why on earth would anyone think that a person that would go to great lengths - to dye hair and to change clothes, would not think to remove SNEAKERS

That's one the classic elements of Urban Myths.

They seem plausible until you start to examine the details.

Atchley

01-10-2009, 02:06 PM

I have heard the shoe thing before. I think if it were true it is because shoes would be almost an afterthought. You would think that people would recognize clothes and hair, but you might not think about shoes. Let's just pray that no one has to worry about looking for their child at all.

mbcary

01-10-2009, 02:11 PM

I like to live in the oblivious world that nothing like murders and rapes happens in WDW. I prefer to be ignorant of all of that. Maybe that's why they don't want the public to get wind of it.

swald91

01-10-2009, 02:12 PM

I think that it is definitely do-able. Let's face it, these abductors want to change the outfit b/c parents know what their clothes look like-color shirt/type of shorts or pants. If you can tell someone your kid has blonde hair blue eyes-red shirt denim shorts-that's what you look for-something relatively obvious-not that shoes aren't important-we just think about their clothing. Lots of times children leave the store crying & carrying on b/c they want something or just tired-whatever & you read it as just that-not a stranger that's just changed this childs clothes & possible hair. It's unfortunate today that there are people out there that just may go to those extremes-very sad. Great idea about high top sneakers-although not always practical.

bwilcox

01-10-2009, 02:12 PM

Someone posted this as true in one of the threads about child safety at WDW a few weeks ago. They said the reason for the sneakers is that it's harder to replace shoes that fit than the outfit. But hey, if someone's going to the trouble of bringing hair dye, I would think they would have the shoes covered, too. And do they dye the hair in a bathroom at the Magic Kingdom??? I think you should always keep a close watch on your kids at WDW, but this story just doesn't make sense.

JennyMP03

01-10-2009, 02:13 PM

lisadr, that is unbelievable to me as well, and I don't even have children. I believe in safety in numbers; I'd just as soon not be by myself when I don't have to, much less a child. I took my teenaged cousin Christmas shopping with me and told her I wanted her to stay with me. My reasoning: "Someone might steal you... who knows, some people have weird tastes." :P

kissthemouse

01-10-2009, 02:31 PM

Lots of times children leave the store crying & carrying on b/c they want something or just tired-whatever & you read it as just that-not a stranger that's just changed this childs clothes & possible hair.

That's why I thought my girls to scream, "This isn't my mommy/daddy!" instead of just screaming. I think that people would pay attention to that over just screaming. At least I know I would. I also taught them to "stay where YOU can see ME." as opposed to the norm of "stay where I can see you." most kids don't really have a good concept of where they can and can't be seen, they just assume you can always see them...KWIM?

There's a really good DVD about Stranger Safety out...it's made by The woman who started Baby Einstein and John Walsh (Amer Most Wanted)...it's called The Safe Side: Stranger Safety. Amazon has it. It's really well done (informative and effective but not instilling FEAR) and both of my girls (2.5 and 5) love to watch it. There is also an online "work at home" guide if you want to do that too. I know most stroller age kids are too young for it, but for the pre-schoolers it's really great! Anyway...just thought i'd share. Carry On... ;)

Trixie15

01-10-2009, 02:36 PM

Hm. We were told a similar story by WalMart managers as part of our security training as new hires years and years ago.

Something like it was a 4 year old girl with long blonde hair. In the 15 minutes the child was missing, her hair had been cut and dyed and her clothes changed. The child was identified by a stain on her foot from marker or paint or something they had been doing earlier that day. They said that if everyone would write something in ink on the bottom of their child's feet in the morning, an abductor would never notice it. They were caught because of Code*Adam, where Wal-Mart closes off all exits when a child is missing.

It doesn't surprise me that it's a hoax, though.

swald91

01-10-2009, 02:48 PM

That's why I thought my girls to scream, "This isn't my mommy/daddy!" instead of just screaming. I think that people would pay attention to that over just screaming. At least I know I would. I also taught them to "stay where YOU can see ME." as opposed to the norm of "stay where I can see you." most kids don't really have a good concept of where they can and can't be seen, they just assume you can always see them...KWIM?

There's a really good DVD about Stranger Safety out...it's made by The woman who started Baby Einstein and John Walsh (Amer Most Wanted)...it's called The Safe Side: Stranger Safety. Amazon has it. It's really well done (informative and effective but not instilling FEAR) and both of my girls (2.5 and 5) love to watch it. There is also an online "work at home" guide if you want to do that too. I know most stroller age kids are too young for it, but for the pre-schoolers it's really great! Anyway...just thought i'd share. Carry On... ;)

Oh, yes-absolutely...but I have heard of cases (not here in US) about drug dealers & how they go about abducting-these innocent children can't scream-it's so sad. It's good to get that info about stranger safety out there-thanks for the info!!!

bumbershoot

01-10-2009, 03:41 PM

"pushing a baby carriage with their 4 month old baby inside through a crowd of people. The mom turned to talk to the dad and when she looked in the carriage the baby was gone."

Forget about the shoes, and wear your baby instead! Bit harder to snag a baby from a sling, mei tai, Ergo...heck even a Bjorn (as a chiropractor I cannot recommend them for baby or wearer's spines, but I digress), than from a stroller.

Problem solved.

jngwright

01-10-2009, 03:54 PM

This is why I love snopes.com. If everyone would snopes, it would eliminate half the crap that comes into my inbox....

Rant over;)

Hope all you Disers are having a good weekend:thumbsup2

kissthemouse

01-10-2009, 03:54 PM

Oh, and I meant to also say...I remember my grandma telling me a similar story when I was younger...except it was in a restaurant, and a girl had gone to the bathroom, and there was a woman in there, changed her clothes, cut her hair, and took her out of the restaurant. She also told me that men would stand on the toilet in the stall next to women and hit them over the head and steal their purse. LOL! I know stuff like that really does happen, but some things you really jsut can't prevent...and it sucks.

EMom

01-10-2009, 06:48 PM

As an aside, a young relative of mine was abducted a few years ago from a very public place, in broad daylight. The child was kicking and screaming the whole time the kidnapper carried her away and shoved her in the car. It seems the other people there just thought she was a kid who didn't want to leave a fun place and no one batted an eye. :headache: She was 5-6 at the time. By some miracle, she was returned.

Eljay

01-10-2009, 07:24 PM

The hair dye part really stands out to me as unrealistic. I can't see applying, processing and removing hair dye in a public bathroom. Certainly not in 15 minutes!

Murders? Wow, I wonder if that really happened. I would imagine just about everything has happened in the hotels, but in the parks, wow, :eek: I don't want to think about that! I remember a few years ago, there was a hostage situation at the Boardwalk Inn. I think it was a parental abduction thing and everything was resolved safely. Scary.

Nikisha421

01-10-2009, 07:49 PM

simba20

01-10-2009, 08:22 PM

Not related, but when I worked at B&N, if a child was reported missing, we were told to make sure to ask what kind of shoes the child had on. Most kindnapers may think to change the kid's clothes, but have no idea what size shoes they will wear and thusly, the child will have on their own shoes.

Never thought about it, but I do always take a pic of my daughter on my cell phone when we enter the mall. So I have a *current* up to the minute pic of her. (yes I am weird like that).

a_sailor's_wife

01-10-2009, 08:39 PM

3boymthr

01-10-2009, 09:22 PM

OMG...I KNEW IT WAS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE...SOMETHINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN IN THAT PLACE!!!

Bad things happen in nice extremely popular vacation places all the time, it's just that the people in charge try to keep them quiet to keep people visiting. I've heard similar stories about all kinds of places. People go on vacation and they lose their "safe" practices because they assume that just because a place is a vacation spot it's safe. Plus sometimes people get into situations that they are unprepared for and bad things can happen. There is a reason WDW provides safes in all their hotel rooms - that should be your clue right there that WDW is as much the real world as any other location.

There are too many people at WDW and it's too close to a large city for these types of things to not happen. I'm sure people get arrested at WDW all the time for all types of unacceptable behavior. But I'm sure these people are pulled out of view of the general public before it happens. Just the other day I was reading about someone having their stroller stolen. I've also seen lots of posts about people wanting to have a beer or two with a friend/family member. How many of those one or two beers turn into one or two cases then into a arrest for drunk and disorderly? It would surprise me if WDW has not had to have more than one person arrested for becoming over the top violent with a cast member when something wasn't perfect or their kid didn't get to see Mickey because he had to take a break.

Just because WDW is a special place doesn't mean bad things don't happen. IMO as long as you are aware of this and keep up your "safe" practices you should be fine and WDW will be a happy place for you.

teresajoy

01-10-2009, 09:22 PM

The hair dye part really stands out to me as unrealistic. I can't see applying, processing and removing hair dye in a public bathroom. Certainly not in 15 minutes!
Don't forget that they would probably dry their hair too!

ilandrazdsw

01-10-2009, 09:38 PM

The public bathrooms are not so public anymore due to family restrooms. Male or femal can take a male or female child with them and others would think it is just mom/dad with their child. For some reason people seem to take their time when in them so it being closed off for awhile isn't so strange.

fbb

01-10-2009, 09:45 PM

I find it improbable that Disney could sweep murders under the rug.

Buzz Litebeer

01-10-2009, 10:08 PM

Any truth to this?
In a word: No. It is a classic Urban Legend, and one has been told about WDW, Disneyland, Wal*Mart, K-Mart, and Six Flags.
Not that I buy in to this one, but one of my regular customers has a daughter who has worked for Disney(Aurora, in the parks, etc.) and he always says that things happen at Disney that the public NEVER gets wind of. Murders, rapes, etc.
Nope. That's another Urban Legend.

(On a slightly related note, that particular Urban Legend inspired the character of the serial killer "Funland" in Neil Gaiman's award-winning graphic novel series "The Sandman". In the story, "Funland" preyed on children inside an unnamed (but transparently Disneyland-inspired) amusement park, because he knew that the park operators would pay handsomely to keep his activities out of the media for fear of decreased attendance.)

lisadr

01-10-2009, 11:27 PM

In a word: No. It is a classic Urban Legend, and one has been told about WDW, Disneyland, Wal*Mart, K-Mart, and Six Flags.

Nope. That's another Urban Legend.

(On a slightly related note, that particular Urban Legend inspired the character of the serial killer "Funland" in Neil Gaiman's award-winning graphic novel series "The Sandman". In the story, "Funland" preyed on children inside an unnamed (but transparently Disneyland-inspired) amusement park, because he knew that the park operators would pay handsomely to keep his activities out of the media for fear of decreased attendance.)

What part do you think is a Urban Legend? There are cases all over the net if you look. Are you really saying nothing bad happens at Disney? Plus the girl in question told me about a rape while she worked there that happened to one of the girls in living on site. It does happen and people need to remember-they aren't really in fantasy land.

hoffmann2828

01-10-2009, 11:31 PM

I don't buy the hair dye on a 4 mo. old, but I could buy it on an older child with longer hair. You can buy SPRAY ON hair dye. Imagine a person using black spray on hair to a little blonde kid. That could be done within minutes and no drying time necessary.

And, to a pp, awesome idea on having a child scream "this isn't my mommy/daddy". It would definitely make me take action as opposed to just a child kicking and screaming.

Jenny

allyphoe

01-11-2009, 12:23 AM

That's why I thought my girls to scream, "This isn't my mommy/daddy!" instead of just screaming.

As an aside, a young relative of mine was abducted a few years ago from a very public place, in broad daylight. The child was kicking and screaming the whole time the kidnapper carried her away and shoved her in the car. It seems the other people there just thought she was a kid who didn't want to leave a fun place and no one batted an eye. :headache:

One of the TV newsmagazine shows (Dateline or 20/20 or similar) did a piece that ran a year or two ago. Kid on the street corner, minding their own business. Actor playing kidnapper comes up to the kid and drags them off. It didn't make a bit of difference what the kid screamed - bystanders almost always ignored them completely. "You aren't my daddy" is apparently generally interpreted as "stepdad trying to control tantrumming brat."

dls881

01-11-2009, 08:11 AM

I can't believe this one is still going around. I first heard it in the 70's....
Remember: www.snopes.com is our friend.

CanadianGuy

01-11-2009, 09:37 AM

Yeah.. moved this to the Rumors Board.. it's total myth.

Allison

01-11-2009, 10:49 AM

I can't believe this one is still going around. I first heard it in the 70's....
Remember: www.snopes.com is our friend.

Crazy, isn't it? I can't believe how many people just buy into this stuff. Thank goodness for snopes so I can provide the link when I reply to the ridiculous emails about various subjects that come around.

IT'S PURE URBAN LEGEND

Imagineer_Tech

01-11-2009, 11:45 AM

I was always told when little if being taken to yell "He/She stole something." as loud as possible which would draw attention from storeowners and security guards and normal people. And I was always told to never draw attention to my eyes. As much as they can change the rest of me everyone has different eyes and eye color can't be changed.

Buzz Litebeer

01-11-2009, 09:11 PM

What part do you think is a Urban Legend? There are cases all over the net if you look. Are you really saying nothing bad happens at Disney? Plus the girl in question told me about a rape while she worked there that happened to one of the girls in living on site. It does happen and people need to remember-they aren't really in fantasy land.
Don't be ridiculous.

Of course bad things happen at WDW. The Urban Legend is that Disney is so powerful that they can keep any mention of these things out of the local media. They can't -- in fact, some of the local media outlets are rather anti-Disney-biased in their reporting (like the Orlando Sentinel, which is so biased some CMs call it the Slantinel).

lisadr

01-11-2009, 09:18 PM

Don't be ridiculous.

Of course bad things happen at WDW. The Urban Legend is that Disney is so powerful that they can keep any mention of these things out of the local media. They can't -- in fact, some of the local media outlets are rather anti-Disney-biased in their reporting (like the Orlando Sentinel, which is so biased some CMs call it the Slantinel).

Ahh-OK I thought that you thought that-nevermind:upsidedow

Flossbolna

01-13-2009, 06:16 AM

When we were on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour someone actually asked about abducted children at WDW. Our guide answered rather diplomatically that Disney is extremely vigilant and they have certain procedures to make these things very difficult. Obviously he did not say what these are. I think I have read once that the most cases of shild abduction are actually within the family, i.e. parents battling over a child after divorce.

He then mentioned that indeed things happen that you don't really expect to happen and that it even happens now and then that children are abandoned at the MK :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: Parents just leave there kids there and don't ever come back!

Geubux

01-13-2009, 09:09 AM

The part about parents leaving their children and never coming back is TRUE!

I know because it happened to ME! Disney was incredible, although I never enjoyed singing in IASW for all those years.;)

Mickey_for_President

01-13-2009, 11:01 AM

KINGBOBOFTHENORTH

01-13-2009, 05:35 PM

Not that I buy in to this one, but one of my regular customers has a daughter who has worked for Disney(Aurora, in the parks, etc.) and he always says that things happen at Disney that the public NEVER gets wind of. Murders, rapes, etc.

Pure b.s.! Sure petty thefts happen at Disney all the time. But let me assure everyone that there are absolutely no murders and rapes at Disney World that don't get reported to law enforcement. And if they're reported, these things get into the press. Disney World and all the theme parks are under press microscopes. Heck, even the occasional parking lot mugging of a tourist on I-Drive makes the newspaper. I also disagree that the Orlando Sentinel is in any way biased against Disney. The amount of positive free press that Disney gets from that paper would cost $thousands.

BobK/Orlando

Buzz Litebeer

01-13-2009, 06:47 PM

He then mentioned that indeed things happen that you don't really expect to happen and that it even happens now and then that children are abandoned at the MK :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: Parents just leave there kids there and don't ever come back!
I find it hard to believe any KttK Tour Guide would say anything like that.

I don't know about simply abandoning children at the MK... but I've heard of incidents where infants were left unattended in their strollers while their parents went on an attraction.

Now, there was an incident a few years back where a minutes-old newborn baby was found abandoned in a restroom (the ones by Space Mountain in Tomorrowland in the old Skyway building) . Long story short; the family of the mother (who was visiting from another country) was eventually located.

pta-mom

01-14-2009, 07:52 AM

The part about parents leaving their children and never coming back is TRUE!

I know because it happened to ME! Disney was incredible, although I never enjoyed singing in IASW for all those years.;)

Thanks for my morning chuckle!! Very cute!

That's why I thought my girls to scream, "This isn't my mommy/daddy!" instead of just screaming. )

This reminded me of when my son was about 2 or so....we had been in the grocery store & he was being a little pain-in-the-you-know-what until finally I had had enough!! I grabbed him up football style under my arm & proceeded to leave the store. As I was walking out, he started to scream, "YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY, PUT ME DOWN!!! YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY!!" People were starring big time at me but I guess I must have looked the part of totally irrate mother because NO ONE said one word to me.

Funny part....my son looks NOTHING like me. I am a lily white lady with red hair & green eyes, think Irish old country...my son is part Chinese, SA & East Indian & Portugese. He is dark haired, eyed & skin. I honestly kept waiting for the cops to come to my door to investigate!! LOL! We laugh about it now...it's become a family favorite....but it is a little scary that NO ONE said a word at the time.

thefirebuilds

01-14-2009, 07:34 PM

This rumor was started by Ted of Ted's High Top Sneaker Emporium.

marsrunner

01-14-2009, 08:01 PM

Thanks for my morning chuckle!! Very cute!

This reminded me of when my son was about 2 or so....we had been in the grocery store & he was being a little pain-in-the-you-know-what until finally I had had enough!! I grabbed him up football style under my arm & proceeded to leave the store. As I was walking out, he started to scream, "YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY, PUT ME DOWN!!! YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY!!" People were starring big time at me but I guess I must have looked the part of totally irrate mother because NO ONE said one word to me.

Funny part....my son looks NOTHING like me. I am a lily white lady with red hair & green eyes, think Irish old country...my son is part Chinese, SA & East Indian & Portugese. He is dark haired, eyed & skin. I honestly kept waiting for the cops to come to my door to investigate!! LOL! We laugh about it now...it's become a family favorite....but it is a little scary that NO ONE said a word at the time.

I wouldn't automatically stop somebody if the kid was screaming they were being stolen or that whoever had them wasn't their parents. I did it to my parents, my wife did it to her parents and our son did it to my wife. My daughter hasn't done it...yet! It would depend on what the person looked like...I mean do they look like they are stealing a kid or is the kid just misbehaving and throwing a tantrum. Hard to say.

mackay_j

01-15-2009, 09:28 AM

This does happen, may never have happened in disney but I know it happens in Italy. We were shooping in a large store in Milan, when all the doors where closed and every small child was inspected. I had to try and find out what was happening as I don't speak any Italian. The security gaurds were rubbing the hair of some of the Kids. It was mainly gypsies who where involved in this. I have also heard of, on news here includding interviews, an attempted abduction from a hotel pool, luckly a teanage boy saw the young girl being picked up as she came back from the tiolets, and he knew that she had not been playing in the pool with that man, so he screemed out and started chassing the man who dumped the girl and ran. However, the worst cases are some of the parents. On a holiday in spain, at a water park I came across a small girl crying, age 6. We asked what was wrong and she explained that she had lost her little sister age 3 and was scared she had drowned. She told us she had been left to watch her for a few hrs while her mum went to have some shots on the rides. We found the little girl (after 35min) and handed both in to security. It took an effort not to thump the parents when they finaly showed up. We do know that one of the other parents who helped look for the missing tot worked in social services and was intending to report the incedent on his return to the UK.

A tip for disney is to use the hand reigns we used then on our youngest when she was about 3 - It made the trip much easier.

Kies99

01-15-2009, 10:36 AM

Remember: www.snopes.com is our friend.

Can't tell you how many times I have to say this to co-workers who forward on "warning" e-mails! :thumbsup2

This does happen, may never have happened in disney but I know it happens in Italy. We were shooping in a large store in Milan, when all the doors where closed and every small child was inspected. I had to try and find out what was happening as I don't speak any Italian. The security gaurds were rubbing the hair of some of the Kids. It was mainly gypsies who where involved in this.

I hate to say it as I like to think I have an open mind, but when I was living in Germany I just couldn't stand the "gypsies". Many times I had to physically push them away from me as they tried to beg for money (aka...pick my pocket).

ZephyrHawk

01-16-2009, 01:34 PM

While my DH was working at WDW two of his co-workers were robbed of the "till" which they were taking into the tunnels to be turned in somewhere else. It was an inside job and the perpetrators were caught. Still...not something you expect to happen at Disney.

pixiedustaholic

01-21-2009, 07:27 PM

A few years back, I read a book about all the "bad" stuff that happens at Disney. I can't remember the title right now, but I checked it out at my local library. It was very interesting. There was a lot about pedophiles working there...which made me really think about things. This would be the perfect place for someone like that to target...especially those who work in the childcare programs or yikes! in room babysitting services. I myself would never trust my children's safety to perfect strangers hundreds of miles from home in such a setting. Even if they do background checks, not every criminal has been caught yet. Before I read this book, we had taken our DD4 to the Wonderland Tea Party at GF. They expected parents to leave their children. My DH and I waited right outside the french doors and watched the entire time. They even played hide and seek...and there was this one male CM that just gave me a really weird feeling the way he looked at my DD and acted funny when I picked her up. I pray that she was old enough to tell me if anything bad had happened. It was just one of those mother's instinct feelings that something wasn't right with that guy. I'm sure I will get flamed but I would seriously reconsider leaving your kids alone with strangers. My DH and I have never really understood how people can do this and feel comfortable about it. Think about it...you are in an unfamiliar place no matter how many times you go to WDW and if someone wanted to, they could be gone sometimes hours before you even knew. My children are too precious for me to jeopordize thier safety. Dh and I will have a night out in our home town or when people we know and trust can watch the kids.

Buzz Litebeer

01-22-2009, 09:21 AM

A few years back, I read a book about all the "bad" stuff that happens at Disney. I can't remember the title right now, but I checked it out at my local library. It was very interesting. There was a lot about pedophiles working there...which made me really think about things. This would be the perfect place for someone like that to target...especially those who work in the childcare programs or yikes! in room babysitting services.
You're talking about "Disney: The Mouse Betrayed". It was a "hatchet job" about the company, and deliberately written to present the company in the worst possible light.

Any pedophiles would be too many -- but I would never say (nor have I ever thought) there were many working for the company. CBCs are run on each and every new hire, and Disney takes extreme, aggressive actions against any CM (or Guest!) accused of such things.

I read a book some years ago that talked about Pedophiles. Many realize what they are during their teenage years, and as they become adults they deliberately put themselves in positions where they have easy access to kids. WDW, with their aggressive policies and checks, would be a very poor choice for this... the odds are much higher of a pedo in your hometown as a coach, councilor, childcare provider, or sitter.

I'm a parent myself, and I have no issues leaving my child with a WDW CM.

pixiedustaholic

01-22-2009, 07:06 PM

... the odds are much higher of a pedo in your hometown as a coach, councilor, childcare provider, or sitter.

I'm a parent myself, and I have no issues leaving my child with a WDW CM.

This is also why I don't leave my children with anyone other than close family(grandparents and my sister).

Everyone has their own standards which is why we would not choose to leave our children with complete strangers hundreds of miles from home in an unfamiliar area.

I love Disney as much as the next person and it is not my intent to bash them in any way. I do, however, think that it goes against common sense to think that bad things can't/don't/won't happen there. That's all I was trying to get across - that people need to use caution even in "the most magical place on Earth." I would hate for anything to happen because I was blinded by the pixie dust.

Buzz Litebeer

01-22-2009, 10:12 PM

I love Disney as much as the next person and it is not my intent to bash them in any way. I do, however, think that it goes against common sense to think that bad things can't/don't/won't happen there. That's all I was trying to get across - that people need to use caution even in "the most magical place on Earth." I would hate for anything to happen because I was blinded by the pixie dust.
I understand and appreciate your position. I'm not so naive (or so blindly loyal) as to suggest that bad things never happen at WDW; Caution is a Good Thing. But it would be a mistake to think that WDW isn't vigilant and complacent when it comes to ensuring the safety of the tens of millions of Guests who visit every year.