Hey, you, reading this paper, yeah you. I have a request, actually I’m begging, don’t zoom out. Don’t pretend to read this for whatever reason. Please actually read it.
My dear listener, have you ever had a person who pretends to listen, but you can see that their not? These people who were born without a fifth sense, look up in the middle of a conversation and say, “What?” Or they start a new conversation with someone else. This shows disrespect and it sends the message I don’t care what you’re talking about.
I once started a conversation with my friend about my day. I could tell that she wasn’t listening, so just for fun I started throwing in different, random ideas. The conversation went around the lines of, “In school, a huge octopus started rampaging the computer lab, so I didn’t have to take my Biology test.” My “friend” didn’t blink an eye.

There are zombies walking around, staring at phones and headphones that are pulling them into the world of the undead. When a person starts talking, people start zoning out.
The respectful listeners are guilty of this; we admit it. In danger of being cliché, nobody’s perfect. There are some days when we just can’t concentrate, and we need someone to repeat what he or she has said. The hearers will give the zombies a break. We hearers can understand these bad days and bad weeks, but when it happens day after day, then it starts to get on a little old. You rocks weren’t born without ears.
Even just now, while I was writing this, my mom walked and asked me what I was doing?

I answered with “I’m ranting about how people don’t listen.”

“Say that again, I wasn’t listening,” was the sweet reply.

Hey, zombies and rocks, listen up. Show that you care about a conversationalist, and have a conversation. According to Webster’s Dictionary for Students, a conversation is talking or a talk between two or more people. Two or more people, so the living dead, unplug and return to the living. Participate by asking questions, or just look interested. Talkers don’t care, so just listen. Even if you anti-listeners lose the thread of the conversation, just apologize and start again. Maybe the listeners will even give you rocks a Q-tip.