Yeah, sorry, there's a big gap between what was written and "default mode of social interaction". Teasing can be a default mode of social interaction, but ther

Yeah, sorry, there's a big gap between what was written and "default mode of social interaction". Teasing can be a default mode of social interaction, but there's a vast gap between saying that teasing can be okay and saying that it should be a default mode of social interaction. Your claim that they are the same is nonsense. There's no doubt that some people try to excuse unacceptable behavior by claiming they were teasing. There's also no doubt that teasing can be done in a way that does not have negative impacts. The same is true of many things in the office. Asking someone to lunch can be a good way to form a positive bond with them or it can be a non-professional actionable move. If a person asks you to stop talking to them in a certain manner or about a certain topic, you should, just like if someone asks you to stop inviting them to lunch, you should. However, you'd never suggest that no one should ever ask a co-worker to join him/her for lunch, would you? Thus, your position is only valid if you belief that all teasing is harmful. That's simply not supportable, regardless of your experience.