open letter to joel spolsky

[rone]

I'm sure that you didn't mean to sound like this, but your recent entry about lunch at work comes across as if you're practically peer-pressuring coworkers to lunch together, which can't be a good thing.  How do you deal with introverts or people with Asperger syndrome?  It's good to welcome new people, and encourage social behavior (especially because lunch should be a real break and not simply the time of the day when you eat at your desk).  But if i worked with you, your use of the words "not negotiable" for the concept of eating with your coworkers doesn't make me want to have lunch with you.