Rick,
Present tense stative progressives, although considered ungrammatical, are in wide use even by highly educated people. We may be witnessing a slow evolution in the understanding of English grammar.
The rationale is that "progressive statives" emphasize the episodic or temporary nature of an activity. They also convey greater vividness, intensity, involvement, and a sense of self-awareness.
In practice "progressive statives" convey politeness in the form of tentativeness, softening, and a desire for harmony. Their function is similar to that of modal verbs.
If "I don't like what I see." speaks of a state of existence, something that is relatively stable, of a world of facts and reality in the outside world, then "I don't like what I am seeing." speaks of the temporary and changing aspect of consciousness. There is a hope in the continuous present for change in the future.
If "I hear you." is an objective state of fact, then " I am hearing you." is an expression of our free will decision "to hear", of a living inner reality.