Many can. Many can't. I did not make the assumption you're arguing against here.
> If your assumption of an effective pair programmer is that they're always bubbly extroverts with politician-level shmoozing capability, I kind of doubt you've spent any length of time doing it.
That was not my assumption at all. You're jumping to unwarranted conclusions not at all supported by what I wrote.
> There's a lot of people who struggle with more "normal" communication that are incredible pair programmers.
That's fine, but it does not change the fact that many people struggle with it. Including people who manage to deal with "normal" communication just fine, but who find the intensity of a pairing unbearable. I can do it, but to me it is intensely uncomfortable to the point that as I've pointed out elsewhere I refuse to be pushed into it - for me it's not a problem, as my career has afforded me the luxury of picking and choosing positions where I get to decide what goes -, but I've met many brilliant developers over the years who just could not deal with situations like that at all.
> It's skill and like any other should be disconnected from stereotypes.
This dismissal of what to quite a few people is an inherent part of their neurological makeup as a "skill" comes across to me as incredibly offensive.