Hey Individual
Pride is a fetter to enlightenment -- that is, liberation from life and death, and from causality itself -- but it can also be a supporting factor for good deeds.
No one would regard self-esteem as a fetter because it is "pride"; the same goes for self-respect, dignity, honor, etc.. Instead of narrowly judging reality according to technical terms, notice: Pride can be the cause of arrogance or foolhardiness, but it can also be a support for positive things.
No one is saying that it cant lead to good but if one is practicing for nibbana then pride needs to be understood and overcome. You cant have pride and nibbana since you cant even have pride and stream-entry
Patriotism can be jingoism, a fuel for war, xenophobia, discrimination, and belligerent diplomacy, but it can also be a source of personal self-worth, confidence, and faith, which supports right living.
I would argue however that the negative effects of patriotism on a society outway the good. It can lead to good for "your own" but as you said it can lead to hatred, feelings of superiority, suspicion and war. In effect what it does is split humanity into armed encampments
As another example that comes to mind, because most of Buddhists -- let's be honest here -- are leftists, most of you would likely approve of multiculturalism.
Former member of the Communist party
But when a person is proud to be black, hispanic, or Asian, is this not simply a form of sub-nationalism? What is it about being proud of one's own country that is necessarily harmful, but pride in one's racial heritage is not?
Yes it is harmful, in terms of Dhamma but also in worldly terms as well since it leads to a feeling of "us and them" on some level and can spark racism
One can clearly see examples of racial nationalists that are harmful, like the Nazis, KKK, Nation of Islam, etc.. Even radical Muslim terrorists today are motivated by a kind of religious nationalism. But on the other hand, there are also clearly cases where nationalism has, for instance, bolstered a minority student's academic and post-academic success or encouraged charity.
The good here doesnt seem to outway the bad
Pride itself is never outright harmful unless it's coupled with something else, like hatred or fear.
Pride always leads to hatred or fear on some level since one has to always protect ones pride. If you have pride then it will come under attack sooner or later and you will feel hatred, fear or both
But pride can also be coupled with good things, like compassion and lovingkindness. Now, if a person is proud of doing good things, and this pride supports their actions, is that not a good thing?
Detachment leads to greater acts of compassion and kindness
The important thing is what it is a person's pride is based on and what it supports. A person should not be patriotic arbitrarily or ignorantly, but if a person is "proud" that their nation supports peace, freedom, and prosperity worldwide, that's a good thing.
But that can still lead to feelings of superiority etc
metta