Hand-on-Heart: Yes, Hillary Did It First and Foremost!
Back in the days when the memories of the 2008 primaries were fading
and Hillary was Secretary of State, some readers used to get lonely for
her when she was out of the public eye for a few days. I used to post
thematic slide shows here in those days so they wouldn't miss her so
much.
When I came upon this "cultural study," I simply had to respond.
Hillary
Clinton, at the Democratic National Convention last month, has taken to
covering her heart with her right hand to underscore her feelings.Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times
When
Hillary Clinton told her audience at a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday
“Here’s what I believe,” she punctuated those words with not just a
vocal flourish but a physical one. Up went her hand, placed over her
heart.
It’s
a gesture unfamiliar from her past campaigns, but it’s a favorite this
time around. In Columbus, Ohio, and Omaha, Mrs. Clinton spoke of her
late father, and up went her hand, placed over her heart.
At
the Democratic National Convention, when she took the stage to wild
applause, she cued the audience on how grateful, moved and humbled she
felt by putting her hand to her heart, once, twice, then a third and fourth time.
It’s a subliminal message of sincerity that some language experts consider contrived.
I
am a language expert. I taught applied linguistics for more than 25
years. That includes paralinguistic devices such as kinesics (gestures
and facial expressions) and proxemics (use of space). I contend that in
Hillary's case it is neither contrived nor even conscious. In fact it
is not new. Here is something I posted back in 2010. 2008 supporters
will recognize a familiar photo from that campaign.
Hillary
Rodham Clinton often mentions her heart. There are cultures, countries,
causes, people that are close to her heart. She works her heart out.
Her heart breaks - or threatens to. She says what is in her heart, and
she loves her country with all her heart. Often, she touches her heart
in a gesture that touches mine.
WASHINGTON
- JANUARY 21: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives a speech on
internet freedom at the Newseum on January 21, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Five United States senators are publicly urging Clinton to move faster
to support organizations that are helping people in countries with
restrictive internet policies circumvent those policies. (Photo by
Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington February 24, 2010.
REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends the session of Middle East
mediators from Europe, the United States, Russia and the U.N. in Moscow,
March 19, 2010. The quartet met in Moscow seeking to defuse the latest
crisis in peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.
REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS)
US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) attends the Middle East Quartet
meeting in Moscow on March 19, 2010. The international Quartet for the
Middle East met in a bid to revive the peace process despite tensions
after Israel's announcement of new settler homes and a deadly rocket
attack. AFP PHOTO / YURI KADOBNOV (Photo credit should read YURI
KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images)
NEW
YORK - MARCH 31: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L)
speaks as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon looks on during the opening
session of the "International Donors' Conference Towards a New Future
for Haiti" at United Nations headquarters March 31, 2010 in New York
City. The United Nations and United States are jointly hosting the
donors conference for the Haitian government which is seeking about $3.8
billion in funds to assist the country in recovery from the devastating
January 12 earthquake. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
South
Korea's President Lee Myung-bak (2nd L) and U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton (2nd R) lay a wreath at the Korean War Memorial on the
60th Anniversary of the Korean War in Washington April 12, 2010.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS)
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures while meeting with
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the prime minister's
residence in Islamabad October 28, 2009. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood
(PAKISTAN CONFLICT POLITICS)
Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Wednesday, April 22, 2009, before the House Foreign Affairs
Committee. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Foreign
Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington April 22, 2009.
REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
WASHINGTON
- APRIL 30: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) during a Senate
Appropriations Committee hearing with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
on Capitol Hill on April 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The committee is
hearing testimony from Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates on proposed
2009 war supplemental appropriations. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty
Images)
Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton answers questions during a meeting with
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Friday, June 5, 2009, at the
State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to reporters after her
meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the State
Department in Washington June 5, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED
STATES POLITICS)
US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) arrives on March 31, 2009 with
Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen (L) for the start of the
international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague. Afghanistan's
international backers, including Iran, are gathering to try to bring new
impetus to efforts to combat the Taliban-led insurgency, help spread
democracy and rebuild. AFP PHOTO / ROBERT VOS - netherlands out -
belgium out - (Photo credit should read ROBERT VOS/AFP/Getty Images)
