I also think there are some women, not all, maddyone, whose self-initiated inferiority complex means they are just rude to anyone of proffers them a share in their own knowledge. It's sad, but hopefully disappearing as society becomes more educated and therefore each person feels competent to discuss with those who know more than they do in a particular area.
Obviously, in conversation, someone would pick up that you do not need an explanation of, for instance, the workings of the union bodies and the Labour party as you would quickly indicate your own knowledge. If someone has made an error, however, taking offence to an explanation seems more like the aforementioned sense of inferiority rather than any form of patronising. Surely, if someone was patronising your lack of knowledge in one area - and we all have greater and lesser knowledge of different areas - they wouldn't bother to share their knowledge with you.
They do say that those who know little believe they know a lot, those who have learned a great deal understand there is a lot they know little about in other areas and more to learn in their own and those who are at recognised as experts know they are experts in their own field but not in others and that there always something to discover in their own.
The subject was relevant to the thread and from someone who probably has greater knowledge in this area than any of us. As far as I am concerned it adds weight to the discussion. If you feel patronised it might be worth asking yourself how seriously you wish to discuss the subject in the first place and why information on the subject is, to you, patronising.