Clinton's Reasons for Her Dismissive Laughter - Why Should We Put Up with It?

Nothing exemplifies airy righteous privilege like Hillary Clinton's brushing off questions by the use of her dismissive laugh. The laugh, or derisive cackle, sends the message, “It is preposterous that I am even being challenged or questioned. Therefore, I don't need to answer your questions. I don't need to give your questions the dignity of an answer.”

Take a look at this video, to see Clinton at her dismissive worst.

Aside from dismissing the interviewer's questions, there are other reasons why she could be laughing. She is deflecting questions that she would rather avoid answering. By laughing at the questions she is changing the subject. Whereas her husband could slip into difficult situations, and he would end up giving awkward answers, and George H.W. Bush would deflect insinuations of infidelity by formally refusing to answer the question, Hillary Clinton is more adept at managing uncomfortable questions. She just rejects those questions she does not want to answer. Her laugh evades the awkwardness of a formal refusal or a response that it is none of the questioner's business.

Perhaps Clinton is trying a maneuver similar to neurolinguistic programming. In NLP speakers try to manipulate voters' thinking. Her laughing at questions could succeed in getting journalists or the general public to fall into line with her dismissal. This worked particularly well with the reportage of the Benghazi hearing. She laughed in response to a congresswoman's question. And much of the media response was accompanied by headlines adopting the idea that the congresswoman was inappropriate in asking her questions, not that Clinton was inappropriate for her laugh.

But her laughing response to serious questions is an insult on many levels. It is an insult to members of Congress, to the press and to the electorate. Remember this as you vote today.