It’s okay to love your country, because you can want to make it better.

No government ever survives past the paper the concept is written on. Otherwise Communism would be the best government ever and not responsible for millions of deaths. The will of the people is what matters most.

Funny how that Jefferson quote has aged when looking at the US political landscape today

“The fine art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to the other.” –Voltaire

"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.