Personally I think patriotism is lame, and other collectivist viewpoints. I don't love my country, or really give a **** about it at all, it just happens to be where I live. I do feel fortunate I was born in the particular part of the world I am, rather than Somalia or something, but that's it. It's not something I feel warrants being proud about.
What's most grating is when people say use the term "we" when referring to the collective accomplishments of that nation (WWI and II being the most oft-used examples by Americans) Did you personally participate in and have an influence in WWII - No? Then why the hell mention it? It's a really weak mindset; you should stand on your own achievements and principles, not the ones of past generations of people who happen to have resided within the same imaginary lines on the Earth as you do.
Regarding the USA specifically, rather than general concept of patriotism, it's quite baffling to me why people would feel the USA is still a country to be proud of. No offence meant, and I'm not one of the people who hates the USA, but really it's a rather average nation these days, and I can't think of any area where it excels other than A) military capability and B) raw economic power. Are those really things to be proud of? I'd be more concerned in the other areas where the USA is soundly beaten by other countries, such as education, literacy, health, standard of living, percentage of the population incarcerated, crime rate, etc. etc. - things that actually affect people's everyday lives rather than abstract statistics.
