TOWN and GOWN

Years ago, we matriculated at a summer program at Oxford University in England. Oxford, by the way, is also where they manufacture the MINI Cooper car. While we were there we were told to NOT identify ourselves as University Students when we were in certain parts of the city. The "locals" were at war with the university and were not shy about beating up the occasional student "just because" he was a student at one of the many colleges in the town. (Oxford is actually 35 separate schools.)

It is not this severe in Nantucket but there is a similar kind of Town-Gown divide...more of a multigenerational Whaler family vs the Johnny-come-lately Hedge fund billionaires who buy homes on the island for millions of dollars. East is east and never the twain shall meet. Many of the new events on the island like the Film Festival, or Wine festival, and especially the Nantucket Project coming up in about a month, are anathema to locals who want the island to stay as it is. On the other side of the coin, the "interlopers" are in many cases oblivious that there were people living here before they came and formed their "new" yacht clubs because they couldn't get into the old one, and built mega-cottages on cliffs for 50 million dollars.

There are a few times when the old and the new can get along. Historical preservation in general, the Nantucket Historical Society, and the Whaling Museum are some of these. The Comedy festival which brings in Jerry Seinfeld and the Gucci-laden hoards from New York...not so much.