This is a great article. I have often found that two people setting out to offend each other can have a lot of fun. It becomes a game in which the players must skirt close to the edge of true insults and then balance themselves precariously.... sometimes pushed and pulled by faux-offence.

It's no longer a game that it is safe to play in public - at least not in any meaningful way and we've got a minority of people doing 'historical policing' of speech. That's a problem because any speech decontextualised from its situational utterance can mean whatever anyone wants it to mean. That's what your friend Kathy was doing -applying (unfairly some might argue) the context to someone else's language.

Taken out of context, the ex-Olympian's speaking could be considered 'mansplaining' and would likely be described as such. I think that's a shame. If someone has done something at an olympic standard, then recognition of their expertise (however long ago it happened) is a necessary kindness and part and parcel of how society should function.

Good article. Very enjoyable. :o)