Going only on the thread title, without having even read the OP... The same word can mean many things to different people. An entire sentence / comment of several words, therefore... I'm sure you can all think of your own examples of something where you / they / someone said "X" and they / you / someone HEARD "Y".

In my opinion, it's where an awful lot of misunderstandings arise. In my experience, it simply never occurs to most people that when someone uses word or expression "X", what they or others hear isn't *necessarily* the same thing. Especially in an email or internet post, which people WILL treat as a conversation; despite the lack of inflection, body language, etc; rather than as a letter, and all sorts of flames result. And which, naturally, doesn't stop "most people" leaping to all sorts of conclusions, making judgements, etcetera!

Anyway, to me, nationalism and patriotism are two entirely different things. Patriotism boils down to "I am proud of my country"; nationalism to "my country is best!". The difference? Implicit is that I can be proud of my country whilst being well aware of a lot of shit things that it's done (we did good things too). But if my country is best? The "implicit" is "How dare you criticise my country, how dare you suggest we ever did anything shit!"

To put it another way, as a patriot, I can appreciate your patriotism / pride in your entirely different nation. As a nationalist, I condescendingly acknowledge your pride, knowing all the time that you are inherently inferior...

If you see what I mean? On balance, no. By my personal definition of nationalism, it is a bloody disaster zone. Patriotism, proper patriotism, is great. I'm proud English, British, European, man of the world. In that order. If you're a proud German, Yank, Canuck, Whatever... Good for you!

Nationalism is a cancer. You're not better than me. You're just different (and probably narrow-minded).

If you see what I mean...