chauvinism

noun

they have a tendency toward small-mindedness and chauvinism

Syn:

jingoism, excessive patriotism, blind patriotism, excessive nationalism, sectarianism, isolationism, flag-waving; xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism, ethnocentricity; partisanship partiality, prejudice, bias, discrimination, bigotry; male chauvinism, antifeminism, misogyny, sexism

See note at jingoism

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chauvinism, jingoism

Most traditionally, chauvinism (/shoh-vuh-niz-um/) refers to fanatical patriotism. The word is an eponym from Nicolas Chauvin, a French soldier who was ridiculed for being excessively devoted to Napoleon. By metaphorical extension, the word was broadened to denote excessive pride in people like oneself, especially in reference to males. Today male chauvinism, which (as a phrase, not a phenomenon) dates back to the late 1960s, is something of a cliché, being the word's most frequent application. Indeed, some writers have come to use chauvinism as if it were synonymous with male chauvinism — e.g.: "He betrayed his chauvinism by expressing surprise that I [Diane McFarlin] was an editor." (Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Nov. 8, 1998.) To the linguistic traditionalist, these uses (or misuses) are arrant nonsense

The void left by the shift in the meaning of chauvinism from national pride to supposed sexual superiority has been filled by jingoism. Essentially synonymous with chauvinism in its traditional sense, jingoism has the added layer of xenophobic and aggressive attitudes toward foreign policy — e.g.: "Gilmour goes overboard in trying to rationalize and justify Kipling's racism and jingoism. He argues, for example, that ‘white’ in The White Man's Burden does not refer to skin color but rather to ‘civilization and character’ and that Kipling's imperialistic beliefs were essentially humane and benevolent rather than based on greed, paternalism and self-interest." (Houston Chronicle; June 23, 2002.). Sometimes the word takes on an even softer sense, suggesting a provincialism or regionalism that is broader than national sovereignty — e.g.: "The prime minister's evident glee that the BA order had gone to a ‘European’ company is mere jingoism at bottom." (Wall Street Journal Europe; Aug. 27, 1998.) — BG