Contra Mr. World is Flat, the a big problem we face is that for most people (I'm thinking of the US but not just of course), the World is Tiny, or specifically Our Individual World is Tiny, not extending much beyond where we live. Yes the magical internets give us a window into the entire world on demand, but Other Places really are just Storyland if you have never traveled. China is about as real as Oz, and most people aren't that interested in finding out about either of them. Even Canada is a fictional land (it's not even a real country anyway).
I'm not blaming people. Travel is an expensive luxury (requiring both money and time, neither of which are in tremendous supply for most people). Fox News tales of things like "Muslim No Go Zones" where neither non-Muslims nor local law enforcement ever enter in Paris and London sound real, because basically anything you could say about Paris or London would sound real to people who have never been to Europe.
