I just can’t seem to get the idea of patronising behavior. Maybe it’s because I’ve never eencountered it. What does it really nmean? Examples would be great .
It’s when you misjudge how slowly to talk to people and they notice you are slowing down for them. Then they get bent out of shape. Sometimes people do it on purpose as a passive aggressive way of keeping the stupid man down or to provoke a reaction.
I would refer you to any of JimiP’s posts for real world examples.
It means you treat someone as if they are stupid.
Don’t worry your little head about it. You wouldn’t understand.
[quote=“superking”]
Don’t worry your little head about it. You wouldn’t understand.[/quote]
:bravo:
Another way to look at it is how a parent might talk to their child while they’re still young. Not a lot of respect is given, but just telling them how it should be.
They might be telling you something obvious as if you are too stupid to understand what everyone else would or should consider common knowledge. For example: My girlfriend might say, “Louis, you need to wear your helmet before you ride a scooter. Don’t you know it’s illegal and dangerous not to use one?” (common knowledge, implying I’m stupid or ignorant not to realize it myself despite the likelihood I already know it’s illegal and dangerous but chose not to use one anyway). Another example: “Louis, if you don’t get a job you’re going to get kicked out of your apartment for not paying the rent. You shouldn’t be drinking and using the computer all day. You need to be out looking for a job.” Again, I’m being spoken to like I’m too stupid or ignorant to realize I need money in order to pay the rent, and that getting a job would solve the problem of needing money. Of course I know it already since I’m an adult. Talk about a nag 
Another example of patronizing doesn’t have so much to do with implying ignorance or stupidity like the above examples, but issues concerning character and wisdom. An example of character patronization: “Louis, why don’t you get a job? Are you really that lazy? Didn’t your dad teach you to be a man and support yourself? Don’t you have any pride at all?” This doesn’t imply I’m stupid, but is aimed at questioning the quality of my conduct.
An example of patronizing wisdom: My mom might say, “Louis, you’re in your 30s now, why are you still over there in Taiwan teaching kids for peanuts like some wandering hippy in his 20s? Why don’t you get a real job? Don’t you care about your future? Are you saving for retirement? Your father and I payed for your education so you could be a bum all your life?” Me: “Uh, well mom, I don’t know when I’ll ever get a real job. But when my kids reach adulthood I’ll let them figure life out for themselves rather than try to guilt them into following some sort of fantasized ideal of success.” (me patronizing my mom a bit 
)
It seems it’s easy to mix up patronizing with the term condescending. I think condescending is more like dumbing down what you’re saying because you think the other person is somehow lower in skill, rank, or knowledge and wont relate to certain terms, information, or ideas on the same level as you. For example: my mom speaking in very slow and simple English to my girlfriend, followed by me patronizing my mother for her condescending way of talking to non-native speakers of English. You should already have a good idea of the difference between the two terms (now I’m patronizing you). I was being condescending when I underlined my examples so you could follow along easier