It seems like you're over-thinking this. There are clear things that are bad (making sexual jokes about a coworker or business partners). There are other areas

It seems like you're over-thinking this. There are clear things that are bad (making sexual jokes about a coworker or business partners). There are other areas that are more gray, and sometimes you might say the wrong thing. Sometimes we'll all say the wrong thing. Apologize, don't try to justify your remarks, move on and realize that everyone has different things that might offend or make them uncomfortable. That's really all you can do. The high-profile things you're hearing about aren't generally one-time slip ups, it's people exhibiting a pattern of bad behavior.