I don't think you or Rivka or anyone else were insulting. I wasn't insulted, at any rate, and nobody else has said that they were either.
I guess I just don't understand the harsh criticisms some people heap on particular items of usage. If it's a joke, then I don't get it. If it's serious, then I think it's misinformed. I especially don't get why people have such strong feelings about such an obscure word as orientate.
Of course, I'm a hypocrite too, because I generally dislike the word utilize, but I think that's only (or mostly) because it's such a common word in overblown technical and bureaucratic writing.