I remember nationalism from high school history, being labelled as one of the causes of the two world wars. Depending on how you define it (or really, how you practice it), it can be a good or bad thing:

http://dict.aiedu.com/word/nationalism

1 : nationalism --> love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it (noun.attribute)   
Synonyms: patriotism, nationalism   
hypernym: loyalty   
hyponym: Americanism chauvinism jingoism superpatriotism ultranationalism   
2 : nationalism --> the doctrine that your national culture and interests are superior to any other (noun.cognition)   
Synonyms: nationalism   
antonym: multiculturalism internationalism   
hypernym: doctrine philosophy philosophical system school of thought ism   
3 : nationalism --> the aspiration for national independence felt by people under foreign domination (noun.feeling)   
Synonyms: nationalism   
hypernym: ambition aspiration dream   
4 : nationalism --> the doctrine that nations should act independently (rather than collectively) to attain their goals (noun.cognition)   
Synonyms: nationalism   
antonym: internationalism   
hypernym: doctrine philosophy philosophical system school of thought ism 

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/nationalism/

“Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. ''Patriotism'' is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by ''patriotism'' I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one's own nation, which is the concern with the nation's spiritual as much as with its material welfare /never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship.”

Erich Fromm

“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.”

Albert Einstein

“Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, "the greatest," but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.”

Sydney J. Harris

“Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.”

George Orwell

“Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.”

Charles de Gaulle

“(Nationalism is) a set of beliefs taught to each generation in which the Motherland or the Fatherland is an object of veneration and becomes a burning cause for which one becomes willing to kill the children of other Motherlands or Fatherlands”

Howard Zinn

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Did you actually read any of that?

That's not what the Americans think. They tend to think that America is better than everyone else and that their own interests are more important than those of other nations. That is, if they even acknowledge the existence of other countries.

Are those Americans you met here in Australia?

The alternative is to be saddened by where you live and unwilling to do anything for it.

False dichotomoy. Those definitions and quotes I gave make a clear distinction between various forms of nationalism. What is generally called nationalism or patriotism, usually by those referring to themselves, goes beyond love for your country and willingness to sacrifice for it, to the sort of delusions of granduer that eventually create the need to defend your country. There is a difference between being willing to defend your country if the need arises, and wanting that need to arise.

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most Americans are good people I agree.

yes, thery are americans I have met in Aussie. They were only here for a short while so had not been aussified yet.  They love "The land of the fee and the home of the brave." They also liked Aussie.

Being a nationalist would probably ensure you are more aimed at improving that what you do not like in your country. eg in aussie, maybe helping aborigines more, the tidy aussie day.
Critisising anything is pointless unless backed up by actions.

It could be that a nationalist person is so disheartened with their own country they go to live somewhere that they are proud to call home.  eg they may immigrate to Aussie from russia.

Extract from David thomsons ''Europe since Napoleon''

Nationalism-

''A nation may be described as a community of people whose sense of belonging together derives from their belief that they have a common homeland and from experience of common traditions and historical development.''

So therefore, multiculturism is anti-nationalist and naturally prefers segregation.

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No, these people consider themselves expatriates- go to lakemba or auburn mosque and ask them, what nationality are you? The answer will be ''im lebanese'' or ''i belong to no nation but allah''.
when they do call themselves australian, its only because a white australian asked-, they were just being polite. Ask them of our history- they know very little. Try to teach them this and they take offence. I know this because i asked the questions.

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The middle easterns, asians, africans and spaniards do not share in our history. Only recent history and that has been one of crime and seperation.

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Thats not a worthy statement


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When do they ever adopt our ways? NEVER. and the ''beach'' is a pretty poor statement fd.