and it really matters in what country you live... america,england,denmark,austria...all report differently on the same event.

I've got a couple of thougts on this...

One reason Americans are largely ignorant of the world at large is, like another poster said, Americans are "not into that stuff" - politics, world news, economics. I'm throwing Canadians into this boat too because they are the same way.

They're "not into it" because they recognize that they are largely ignorant on these subjects and talking about it would expose this ignorance and make them feel stupid in front of their peers. This I blame on the educational system in the US and Canada because children are taught what to think rather than how to solve a problem, look critically at a situation, or recognize when two seemingly unrelated things are connected. Further, they're not taught how to keep learning by teaching themselves when school is over so they just let their brain atrophy.

Another reason Americans specifically are ignorant of world goings on is that they are completely insulated from the world. Most Americans don't have the means (read money) to travel to other parts of the world to actually see what it is like. When I moved to Canada I saw a commercial showing how you could move to London...just go to the website and apply just like that. It turns out that Canada has a freedom of travel agreement with something like 40 countries where if you're aged 18-35 you just fill out a form, prove you have enough money for a ticket home, and that's it!

The US does not have anything like this WHATSOEVER. The only way people can travel abroad is if their family can afford an international vacation or can afford to send them on a study abroad program during college, both of which are dwindling opportunities.