The Dark Side of Disney - Leonard Kinsey [53]
Is the danger a part of the appeal? Personally, I’d love to explore a lot of these places, but the thought of getting arrested, even more so than getting physically injured, serves as a fairly strong deterrent. If danger isn’t part of the appeal, how do you reconcile the obvious risks with the less obvious rewards?
Danger is not a motivating factor. I’d be just as happy seeing these places if it were completely legal and I had permission. Danger is everywhere really, you can get hit by a bus crossing a street, or slip in the shower and drown in 2 inches of water just as easily as you could get hurt by walking around an abandoned building. People may see what I do as “dangerous” but if you look at the numbers of people dying from heart disease, I’d say that it’s a lot more dangerous to sit at home and watch TV while eating junk food. I’m not a thief or vandal, so as far as arrest goes I don’t worry about it too much besides trespassing tickets which are usually just a fine.
Do you find yourself needing to justify these activities to your friends/family/coworkers? Do you come across a lot of people who just don’t understand your rationale? If so, how does that impact your relationships? I imagine if this is something you’re passionate about it would be hard to maintain a relationship with someone who didn’t understand risking your life for that passion.
Not particularly. I’m an adult and I don’t really feel the need to justify any of my actions to anyone other than myself. I’ve come across a couple people that don’t understand why I choose to do these things, but for the most part people get why I do it and many times tell me stories of similar things they have done in the past, often in their childhood. I get way more people asking to come along or saying that they wish they could but are unable to because of the risks involved. I don’t really think I would have much interest in having any sort of relationship with anyone that is so caught up with rules and regulations that they can’t fathom why I might do this, so it’s mostly irrelevant. My friends/family/lovers vary in their level of understanding/support/interest, but none are completely opposed to it or lack understanding of why it is appealing.
Is there any place that is “sacred ground” to you? Or is it all fair game for exploring?
There are plenty of places I won’t go, it’s all dependent on the risk/reward ratio. There are tons of things I would love to see, but are quite unlikely I ever will. I would love to see the inside of an active nuclear power plant, NASA facilities, and many other similarly high security locations but those sorts of places are virtually impossible to see without permission. I basically stay away from any place that is a guaranteed arrest or that I feel are beyond my physical capabilities.
So you were born and raised in Miami, FL. How often did you visit Walt Disney World when you lived in Florida? Was it a rare treat, or did you visit often enough for the novelty to wear off? Do you have fond memories of family experiences there, or was it more of an annoyance to have to keep going back?
I went a few times with my folks growing up, but we didn’t go too much. It was fun at the time, although I didn’t particularly enjoy standing around in lines all day and I was always curious about behind the scenes stuff.
What was your first Urban Exploring experience at Walt Disney World? How long had you been doing this before you tried it at WDW?
It was probably exploring the Utilidor system a few yeas ago, a few months before I did the swim to Discovery Island. I had been dating a girl that worked there in the past and she taught me some of the Disney jargon and explained some of the rules about employee conduct/appearance. I also looked at a few maps online of the system and had a rough idea of where entrances should be. I dressed and cut my hair to meet Disney regulations, bought a ticket to the park and headed