Steve Hamm Photo
(Opinion) At a time when the social divide between the privileged class and regular people is growing ever wider, I decided to capture images of what it looks like when the elite are enjoying life in their natural habitat — in this case the 136th installment of “The Game” between Yale and Harvard football teams, which took place Saturday at the Yale Bowl.
On the walk to the Yale Bowl from downtown on Chapel Street, the divide was noticeable between students and residents of the Dwight neighborhood.
My preconception was that the people I saw at the Bowl would look kind of like me — only with better clothes and haircuts. (I am a college-educated white Baby Boomer.)
In the tailgating areas and in the stands, I saw diversity. (It’s worth noting here that it was not until 1969 that Yale admitted women, and more recent still that people of color began to have more than token representation there.)
Sure, I saw some attendees who openly support Donald Trump. But only a few.
I spotted New Haven PD snipers on the roof of the stadium keeping an eye out for deranged shooters and terrorists.
At halftime 200 students and alumni took to the field to protest Yale’s and Harvard’s investments in fossil fuels. They chanted, “OK, Boomer!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” The protest made national news. (Video courtesy of Patricia Kane.)
The scene back downtown seemed like a parallel universe to the one at the stadium. I hope that one day, instead of diverging, the arcs of these two worlds will bend closer together.