The Olympics
I recently overheard someone express apathy towards the Olympics, whereupon a second party scoffed at the first for failing to patriotically cheer on the US Olympic teams. I shall quote the eloquent Rebecca Watson on this matter.
I don’t watch, I don’t discuss it around the water cooler, and I don’t scan the sports section of the paper to see how many medals “we” have won (”we” is odd because I had nothing to do with it and only have the good fortune to live in the same swath of 3.5 million square miles as some of the athletes).
There are lots of things to dislike about collectivism but none as outright disgusting as the way it allows people to take credit for the accomplishments of others. And just in case it still needs pointing out, I will say this explicitly: nationalism and patriotism are collectivist sentiments.
Of course, such things are not always bad; without the input of your parents, you would not be the person you are. The communal actions and activities of a family for the betterment of the the family are also capable of building a shared sense of accomplishment. In small communities families working together can overcome serious obstacles and, justly, share a sense of accomplishment for doing so shared in a broader group. Military esprit de corps is not an illusion, but a shared sense of success properly earned.