I was drawn to the phrase, “Seeing right through them“appearing in the New York Times (October 5) article written by Daniel Goleman under the title, “Rich people just care less.” It begins with the following sentence:
“Turning a blind eye. Giving someone the cold shoulder. Looking down
on people. Seeing right through them. These metaphors for
condescending or dismissive behavior are more than just descriptive.
They suggest — the social distance between those with greater power
and those with less — a distance that goes beyond the realm of
interpersonal interactions and may exacerbate the soaring inequality
in the United States.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/rich-people-just-care-less/?hp
When we were listening to teacher’ words in class, or a boss's instructions in office, didn’t we see right through him or her in order to be attentive? Is “to see right through people” perceived as a condescending / dismissive or rude behavior?
I happened to find the same “See right through them” phrase in the English version of the teaching of Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido – martial art for self defense derived from Jujutsu. He says:
“If your heart is large enough to envelope your adversaries, you can
see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelope
them, you will be able to guide them along the path indicated to you
by heaven and earth.”
It appears to me Goleman uses “Seeing right through people” in “condescending and dismissive” manner, and Ueshiba uses it in different, rather positive way.
What implications does the expression “Seeing right through them” have?
Best Answer
There is a common view that a people can be read by looking at their faces and determining the sincerity of their presentation. However, people are often described as putting on a mask or a false face to hide their true intentions.
The idiom seeing through them refers to seeing through that mask or false face, and being able to discern the other's true position or intention.
While the phrase is not inherently condescending or dismissive, it does suggest that you are not accepting someone's presentation or position at face value. However, it could be used in a positive and supportive manner:
As Jim notes in his comment, the phrase seeing right through him is used in the first instance cited by the OP to suggest ignoring someone. The more common phrase for this sense is looking right through him (as if the person were transparent, effectively not there).