they cannot understand why things I say privately to my wife are not always acceptable to say publicly,

But ... *I* didn't *say* anything. Publicly or privately.

And "no person" said anything sexist, publicly or privately. It was a character, in a cartoon, on another web site. And *I* didn't write the cartoon.

You, a human being, used the 'c-word' (in full), directly in a post, to make a point.

The cartoon writer, put a sexist remark -- that if "said in public", would be far less offensive -- in the mouth of a cartoon character, then had another cartoon character admonish the first for the for saying it, to make a point!

(The very same point that you and others were apparently trying to make however clumsily and ill-judged in the delivery.)

And you get applauded whilst I'm berated?

There's something rotten here ...