Why exactly is it that shit rolls down hill? Because we are told that’s how it works. And to toughen up and get over it.
That is one option. Not the only one.
The exec doesn’t deserve kid gloves either. So that doesn’t seem relevant. Nobody deserves kid gloves. Decent behavior is not kid gloves.
It isn’t toughening up to allow others to act like children. But again, the language is used deliberately. The problem is conveniently your not toughening up - not someone else being an ass.