Patriotism, Jingoism and Nationalism

What is it about England that brings out such hatred in some people? Some hate the patriotism that often occurs  when the English are involved in sporting events, equating it to nationalism and/or jingoism, yet are quite happy to see other nations and fans flying their flags. However when they see the English do the same, they hate it because the English must all be BNP supporters, hypocrisy writ large if ever there was a case. They even have all the trite leftist phrases down including the right wing bit (as if the BNP were ever right wing) and can't seem to recognise that the only bigotry on display is their own.
It of course goes further, Julie Burchill in the Daily Mail positively froths at the mouth in the hope that England will go out of the competition quickly so all those horrid little Englanders will get rid of those awful dull St Georges flags and go back to the inclusive majesty of the Union Jack. (strangely enough the flag of the BNP) Of course in Burchill's case it's simply beyond the pale that anyone but a bunch of hooligans would love their own country rather than be British like her.

So, yes, however cross it might make you, I will count the days until England come home with their tails between their legs once again, and the St George's cross - temporarily hijacked in the name of football - is replaced once more by the brave, beautiful Union Jack as a flag the nation can really be proud of.

Once again proving there are some who simply don't get it, people who count themselves as English, now rarely count themselves as British, not any more, not since Britishness was hijacked by the Labour party in an effort to regionalise, marginalise and remove the name of England from the UK. If asked, you'll probably find that the only British thing about them is their passport. These are the people who may have a flag of St George on their cars or draped on their house and will shout to the rooftops their support for England in the world cup, yet a quick check would no doubt prove that they don't have a union flag in the house, nor would have a use for one if they did. Are they racist? Possibly, nay probably some are, yet 6 doors up from me is a house draped in the Flag of St George and the family living there? Well they're from the Indian subcontinent, but they are supporting England in the world cup because it's their team and their country.
And that's what the haters are missing, it's not about racism, jingoism or extreme nationalism, it's just ordinary people being patriotic about their team and the country they represent. They can't accept that England fans come in all shades of colour, religion or political status, to them all England fans are the same, nasty vicious closet (at best) racists. They see something they don't understand about a country they loathe (it used to be Britain, but that changed) and they tar the ordinary people with the broad brush of stereotypical racism, no doubt it makes the British feel superior, if making them look like bigots themselves in the eyes of ordinary folk.
I just wish that people would get off the backs of the English for doing what other nations do, it's no different to Brazilians, Uruguayans, Italians, Germans etc flying their flags and supporting their teams and wanting them to win. In that, the English are no different to anyone else. Nor is it arrogance to believe or state that we're in with a chance, ask any fan about their team and you'll get such statements, even though most fans are well grounded in reality and know just how well their team will actually do (As a Newcastle supporter I know this all too well) but you always live in hope and you never abandon that hope either, not till the final whistle.
It would be nice for a change for the English to be left to be English, to support their team through good and bad without the baggage of other peoples hypocrisy and bigotry being transferred to them.
Hating the English seems like hating the USA to be an acceptable form of bigotry for some people and that needs to change. They, not the English, need to grow up.