Understanding American Politics in an Era of Polarization Presented by Prof. Alexander George Theodoridis on Oct. 7

 

Prof. Theodoridis suggested that nowadays people identify with the political party that represents their own ideas much more than with the groups that represent their race, religion, socio-economic status, educational status, etc.  Especially, in the USA where there are only two main political parties, there is an obvious tendency to separate people into “us” against “them.”  Prof. Theodoridis’ statistical research shows that both political parties tend to dehumanize the followers of the other party and consider them less evolved, not as smart,  less educated, etc. 

 

Given the consistency by which Washington D.C. and thirty-eight states vote since 2000 and the results of popularity votes in the recent elections versus the results of the electoral college system, Prof. Theodoridis discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the existence of the electoral college system including the necessity of fair representation of all the states of the republic as well as the popularity vote expressed at the ballot boxes.  Prof. Theodoridis also discussed the different political “climate” that European countries experience, as there are more than just two political parties representing the will of the people in the European elections (other than Great Britain where polarization was also prevalent during the Brexit / non-Brexit issue). 

 

AAFSW would like to thank Prof. Theodoridis for this brilliant “à propos” and con-current presentation which endeavored in explaining the political “climate” we all currently experience just before the November 2020 Presidential Election.