To get back to the OP, "How I learnt to loathe England," how can a person loathe an entire country?

As a geologist, I think it's ridiculous to say "England" when the author is actually referring to the humans who live in England. England is a land, with fields, cities, mountains, rivers and even occasional earthquakes. Humans are small features (usually no more than 2 meters high) who dot the surface.

But such as they are, those humans are numerous and multifarious. It's ridiculous to claim to loathe all of them.