"That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part." ~Thomas Jefferson

or maybe a cop out. "things are different, you don't understand" is just a way to end a conversation to avoid having to think about new input.

Making that distinction is just gatekeeping. National pride is a political narrative anywhere. It's easier to deal with a populous that just accepts a country as is. We've been through all that.

And our national pride stems from this.

But our society is a direct reflection on the people involved with it. Canadian society is not the same as German society.

I understand that, I as a person, have little affect on my country. I do affect my neighbourhood, which affects my city, which affects my province and so on.

And that requires national pride?