nolla, yes I did look up various psychological classifications, disorders and such. I didn't see anything that fit or gave me any clues.
KDude, thank you, the person was venting at the time, stressed or frustrated about two separate issues, so maybe talking about not wanting to be around people because they're stupid is a way that person vents. And it goes along with a political view of (USA) society going down the tubes (which could be accurate enough, and threatens personal quality of life, and could be said to be caused by the actions of 'stupid' people).
xNTP and KDude, laughing to avoid social friction is a social mammal thing, right? Like chimps do, or wolves -- a submissive thing in the presence of an alpha. Or at least it's possible to look at what you described that way, that the people at the party were doing what comes naturally, doing the social appeasement work necessary to hang on to or uphold their place in the pack.
They're functioning effectively -- it's really not possible for people to live alone, as 'it takes a village' to raise children (to support and protect new mothers), etc.
Which brings me to something else I've wondered, and since this thread is already wandering, I'll wander further. People like Gandhi will spend time around an 'alpha' and not do the submissive thing, which shocks the alpha and the people watching. The same thing happens when someone stands up for an ideal in a workplace. Someone 'thinking for themselves' and taking a stand on an issue usually shocks people.
It's hard to think of Gandhi as an alpha himself, and it's hard to think of the one standing for a principal in a workplace as an alpha. Their behavior isn't a domination thing -- or is it? It certainly is a refusal to be dominated.