November 30, 2003
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Why do people ask questions when they won’t listen to the answer?
I know it’s a general question, but seriously, why would you even attempt to interact with someone if you didn’t care to invest yourself in the interaction?
I know I’m sometimes guilty of seeming to neglect people when they talk to me because I am one of those rare people who really can do two things at once- that is if one thing is physical and the other is mental.
I can listen to someone talk and at the same time think and do some physical act. I can then repeat back to them what they have said to me. And I’ve come to realize that is a rare ability. Most people seem able to only focus on one thing at a time. I can type information at the keyboard, speak to a customer, and listen to a question from a coworker at the same time. I guess I’m a born multi-tasker or at the very least my ability to observe things peripherally is freakish.
But people that are incapable of this feat… why do they ask me questions and then ignore me when I answer. Is it because it was not the answer they were hoping for and if they act dumb enough I will eventually tell them what they wanted to hear? Is it that something has distracted their small attention span and they don’t have the IQ points to focus on me and their distraction? I’d really like to know!
Yeesh, does everyone have ADD but me?
Comments (3)
Sometimes I think people ask questions without caring that they asked. They don’t really want to ask or care about the answer, but its like this auto response concept.
Then some people I know, ask something, just to tell you what their opinion is cause no one has asked them for theirs.
. . .Because it may not be the answer they wanted or they already know the answer and are being redundant! I too find this musing to right on target for my own job. It is as if people almost want to argue with you these days. I too work in retail and have found this amazing ability people have to ignore what you are saying even when they have asked a question.
I too find this musing to right on target for my own job. This sentence should read “I too find this musing to BE right on target for my own job. ughhh!