You assume a lot here. It’s incredibly easy to argue the opposite- you miss things your brain skips over when you’re physically reading, or you read too fast and don’t get the full weight or emphasis the author intended when reading.

When you're reading and you 'zone out', the book stops. Unless you have something seriously wrong with you, you're not going to just sit there staring at a book for multiple pages without processing. When listening to an audiobook, the book continues. You can listen to an hour of content only catching the minor details because you're driving on a busy road, mowing the lawn, whatever.

I know this because, like you, I also listen to and read books. Audiobooks and books are different and that's okay. It's not elitist, it's realistic. It's okay to say that you give every line your full attention while listening to an audiobook (though putting on some noise-cancelling headphones and taking a bath and listening to an audiobook is divine, do recommend).

People get so weirdly angry about this, and it honestly just screams elitism.

People get so weirdly defensive about this, and it honestly just screams insecurity.