Is being patriotic/nationalistic a bad thing?

[Blazer6]

I'm not a fan of patriotism or nationalism and I think both are inherently bad human constructs.

Both, by their very nature, create an 'out group' for the pitying, hating, vilifying, mocking, warring, rejecting. You simply can't feel like part of such a club without implying the rejection of another. Nationalists and Patriots (jingoistic or otherwise) are meaningless and purposeless individuals in a vacuum. Even a Patriot must assume that there is some 'other' out there who doesn't share his enlightened views.

Sure, these have brought their benefits to many people, bringing about independence, revolution against tyrrany and so on. But that time is long gone. Now they create division, suspicion and conflict more than anything else.

Aside from that, I would echo the comments by De Lorimier and Verbose on this.

The benefits still continue and will continue because people will always want a better government.

I think the nation is the most damaging, de-humanising concept currently in existence, and the world will be a thoroughly better place when we have abolished the lot of them. We are all human.

It is because of the nation concept that people have learned to live together as more than a group and that allows a greater concentration of organization than wandering nomads.