To add to this, the difference between a Patriot and a Nationalist is the difference between “What can I do for my country?” and “What can my country do for me?”
It absolutely makes sense for a Patriot to be critical of what’s wrong with her or his country because they want it to be better, whilst Nationalists who just want to gain from the prestige of their country are absolutelly against anything that would damage said prestige.
Far-right nutters are invariably either Nationalist or, as in this case, Traitors.
Nationalists lie to themselves about others. Patriots lie to themselves about themselves. Both only exist for the purpose of moral licensing enabling bad behaviour.
Tribalism in general is a pretty bad idea, IMHO - if you’re going around with an us vs them mindset and with double standards for the words and actions of those from the us group versus everybody else, you’re not being ethical or moral, just a hypocrite and/or useful idiot.
That said, even amongst tribalists there are different ways of relating to others in the us and even other groups, depending on whether one has a protective/cooperative mindset backing their wanting to belong in a group (roughly “we’re better together”) or an extractive mindset (roughly “together we can force others to do what we want”) - it’s roughly the difference between a neighbourhood sports association and a criminal gang.
(Further, you can have the first kind of drive to be in a group, without being tribalist about it).
When what defines the group is the nation one was born in, those with the former mindset tend to be patriots and those with the latter nationalists.
Part of loving your country is wanting it to be better.
To add to this, the difference between a Patriot and a Nationalist is the difference between “What can I do for my country?” and “What can my country do for me?”
It absolutely makes sense for a Patriot to be critical of what’s wrong with her or his country because they want it to be better, whilst Nationalists who just want to gain from the prestige of their country are absolutelly against anything that would damage said prestige.
Far-right nutters are invariably either Nationalist or, as in this case, Traitors.
Nationalists lie to themselves about others. Patriots lie to themselves about themselves. Both only exist for the purpose of moral licensing enabling bad behaviour.
Tribalism in general is a pretty bad idea, IMHO - if you’re going around with an us vs them mindset and with double standards for the words and actions of those from the us group versus everybody else, you’re not being ethical or moral, just a hypocrite and/or useful idiot.
That said, even amongst tribalists there are different ways of relating to others in the us and even other groups, depending on whether one has a protective/cooperative mindset backing their wanting to belong in a group (roughly “we’re better together”) or an extractive mindset (roughly “together we can force others to do what we want”) - it’s roughly the difference between a neighbourhood sports association and a criminal gang.
(Further, you can have the first kind of drive to be in a group, without being tribalist about it).
When what defines the group is the nation one was born in, those with the former mindset tend to be patriots and those with the latter nationalists.