Yes and no.
I can hear criticism without going into mental lockdown, ranting about people being un-South African. My country, since 1994 at least, has freedom of speech, freedom of religion and a high level of freedom of politics so the concept of an un-South African is pretty dicey anyway.
But when push comes to shove I am a South African, and I believe it is important to try and make my country a better place. Not just for our sake, but the sake of providing a working model which can help other countries become better in time.
I am proud of the quality of research my country produces despite the fact that we lack quantity, as well as the quality of things like our olives and wine. I also like the fact that my country's contribution to the balance of world power has been primarily by acting as diplomats, not world police.
Further when it comes to our people, if you want a glimpse of the real South Africa lurking beneath the fake divides of racism, just take a look at the crowds outside Mandela's hospital every time he coughs.
That makes me a bit of a patriot.
That said, I also recognise that my country is a rapist's paradise, has the military capabilities of a stoned manatee (thankyou corruption), and generally seems to constantly be falling victim to racist bullshitters. We aren't exactly the Wild West, because the Wild West had less of a violent crime problem.
That makes me somewhat less of a patriot, because I believe that becoming the best in the world would require a lot of work, and we are nowhere near there yet.
