Based on the original post (haven't read the whole thread), I would suggest that only you can answer this question really as you are the one who knows exactly what happened. Try to look at it calmly, objectively and from an outside prospective. If you genuinely think you are in the right and are being mistreated, then stand up for yourself (providing you can back it up). Of course you don't want to cause tension, but you don't want to be walked all over either. Just think it through calmly and decide if it's worth making a fuss. Put yourself in the shoes of the guy who complained, did he have cause to think what you said was inappropriate? If so, then while you may have known it was a joke, he may not have, so bite the bullet and be more professional next time. Either way, take a day to think it over if you're not sure.
I had a similar situation once and this thread has made me relive it, I'm mad again over the whole thing! On my placement year I use to pull together a monthly report for a team of consultants, one month I get a voicemail (wasn't at my desk) from the meeting room where the lead consultant accused me (bear in mind this is in a room full of the others consultants) of messing the report up and claimed we had to "get the quality under control from now on". Full 2 minute rant on my answer phone in front of the whole team. Thankfully I was entirely in the right (he'd sent the wrong figures in the email, black and white concrete evidence), but that wasn't going to change the fact that I looked like a right idiot in front of that room full of people (especially mad given there had never once been a "quality" issue). My reaction was simple. When I got the message I checked the email to ensure I was correct and hadn't screwed up, then marched straight into the meeting room, explained his mistake to him and politely enquired if he'd like me to go and research the figures for him. Never seen a man go so red or apologise so profusely, incredibly satisfying and the smarmy git didn't talk down to me again for the remaining 10 months or so I was there. Very satisfying!