Wisconsin changes venue policy in response to costume incident

Because there are profoundly cruel and idiotic people in the world, the University of Wisconsin amended its venue policy on Thursday to revise its attendee standards of conduct. This action comes in response to two people wearing costumes depicting President Obama and Hillary Clinton being lynched by Donald Trump.

The rules change follows on the heels of Nigel Hayes and other Wisconsin student-athletes taking to Twitter on Monday, roundly criticizing the university’s initial response to the incident.

Things now prohibited at Camp Randall and other venues include (and I cannot believe we actually have to have rules in 2016 prohibiting this) “nooses and ropes, which will be treated as weapons that constitute a threat to safety (as will replicas of weapons).” Additionally, because someone thought that hundreds of years of pain and degradation was funny, the university now advises that:

“Any person who engages in violent, threatening, abusive or otherwise disorderly conduct which tends to provoke a disturbance or incite violence will be ejected from our events. Threats include statements, actions and behaviors that could reasonably be foreseen as having a purpose to inflict physical harm, even if the person making the threat doesn't have the ability to carry out the threat. Disorderly conduct does not require that a disruption actually occur. Any spectator carrying a prohibited item may be refused admittance or may be ejected from the venue.”

We at Bucky’s 5th Quarter are fans of the First Amendment. Big fans. In exercise of our First Amendment rights and because it’s clear some out there that did not do too well in school we would like to take this opportunity to note the following:

• Nearly 4,000 American men and women of color were the victims of lynching from 1877 to 1950.
• During the Atlantic slave trade (1525-1866), over 12.5 million Africans were enslaved and brought to North America. Of those, 26 percent or more were children.
• After the Civil War, a majority of states instituted “Jim Crow” apartheid laws with the express intent to deprive Americans of color rights acquired under the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
• There are those alive today who lived through Jim Crow. All of our fellow Americans of color have experienced discrimination including our scientists, our doctors and sitting United States senators.

Free speech = awesome. Knowingly and intentionally utilizing your free speech rights in such a way as to inflict harm on your fellow Badgers because you have a widdle-diaper-baby need for attention demonstrates neither wit nor creativity. It is worthy of only scorn and derision and it is our sincere hope here at B5Q that you depart this country fan base and never return.