Brit here. I think it depends on the kind of patriotism. I am very patriotic about the UK, but I'm patriotic about (I guess) my society, and its culture, and its values/political system. I think it's just fantastic in its own way (and probably the coolest nation on earth, let's just be honest for a moment) and I feel a sense of obligation towards it.

Having said that - and this is where I and many others part ways with certain patriotic Americans - I do not think that the success and glory of my nation trumps other basic values that I hold dear - such as basic equality, respect and human rights. If my nation acts unfairly towards another nation (i.e. treats other nations as if they are lesser than themselves), I am embarrassed. If my nation engages in double standards, and god forbid if my nation disregards the lives of those living overseas, I recognise that it is just as unforgivable as if any other nation had done it. 'British exceptionalism' is not a word that exists in this country's vocabulary, and most people I think fully understand that British values (freedom, democracy, equality) are things to be universally applied, not just applied to ourselves and fuck everyone else.

In some areas of the USA, and I particularly have in mind the political right wing, morality seems to be utterly absent, with the only ideal being loyalty to "America" and fuck anything and everything else. Torture? Cool. Bombing civilians in sovereign countries? Who cares. Blind faith in a constitutional document that few seem to have read? Absolutely. All for the good of "America" as an abstract - an abstract which is totally divorced from actual, real-life Americans.

American patriotism honestly seems to be like a very sinister idea which is actively, consciously employed by certain politicians to persuade poor, uneducated Americans to support policies which are the total opposite of being in their interest. Your political system is utterly in the pocket of the rich, to such an extent it seems like a falsehood to even describe it as democracy. Yes, the UK has this problem as well, but nowhere near to the same extent.

But nobody seems to really do anything about it.

I don't blame Americans, I blame your political system. But patriotism has a serious dark side to it, because its that sense of blind obligation which keeps people from really keeping the state in line (I say state, not government, because it's not any one particular government, it's the whole state system). It seems to serve itself and nobody else.