Somehow these two very different things have been conflated by those who typically are radical nationalists so I'm here to explain the difference to everyone else.

Patriotism is the act and belief that one's own self, respects and loves their birth country or country of residence and is willing to defend it from threats, foreign and domestic, be it against physical or ideological harm.

Radical Nationalism is the act and belief that one's birth country or country of residence is superior to all others at the detriment of foreign countries and even persons within their own country that question the choices, actions, beliefs, or other implemented systems of said country.

Radical Nationalism has, since world war two, been noted as a dangerous sign of fascism and tyranny for the fact it leaves little to no room for change, criticism, and revolves around unified herd mentality, it uses tactics of fear mongering and inflated ego-centrism to maintain the herd and creates a sense of "Us vs everyone else" , this creates a sense of empowerment and safety for those "in the herd". In case anyone's wondering why this was after world war two and not prior- it's because Hitler was perhaps the most well renowned fascist to exist and these tactics are everything he used to create his nazi regime.

This is becoming increasingly prevalent in U.S politics as of late, and if you're not concerned about the state of civil rights in the US, the POTUS and his way of handling opposition or criticism, and what his followers recreate and act on his behalf-- then you're not paying attention to history.

Note: I'm not interested in having a debate with people defending Fascism, Nazism, etc. If you comment in a way that makes me believe you are instigating a fight I will simply block you, so please think before you type, thanks!