I've noticed something in the past year, though. There are Canadians who have moved to the US (scads, actually) - and have professed in facebook comment melees their love and/or patriotism for the US.
Now, I left that country behind and am pretty happy about it. I've done some self examination after reading about Canadian expat's rabid love for US. Fitting in with a new peer group might have plenty to do with expats becoming enamoured of their new locale - with its new customs or attitudes. Case in point: A friend who grew up in NYC with democratic tendencies moved to southern US and now espouses Tea Party doctrine. Only peer pressure explains that horrific turn of events.
Another suspect is the human brain's own programming for self fulfillment and happiness; Patriotism has absolutely nothing to do with real greatness of the city/country you're in. Its implied because you live there, obviously. We also wouldn't have cut it as a species if we didn't have wiring that allowed people to "make do" with living in a location (as long as the location provided them with a living). This would explain, to my satisfaction, the case of the Inuit who live/lived in a miserable frozen waste.
This revelation isn't shocking, is it? The Olympics put on a show where you repeatedly see citizens from all different countries showing their colours. It just hits home when expats of the country that you chose to love and live in happen to espouse rabid love/adoration for your ex-country.
And I realize loving your present location - by choice or by birth - is a simple and human thing to do: Love the one you're with.
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