Pain, I thought the article was interesting, but that as with many articles about 'The US' it doesn't make mention of the vastness of the US and the huge differences between regions. The childhood of someone raised in working class New Jersey is going to be so different from the childhood of someone raised in white collar Southern California or the coal-mining Appalachians of Tennessee that they might as well be different countries.
My sons are 'children of the 90s' and her article certainly doesn't reflect their upbringing or their education (at school or at home). They were raised in a liberal, white collar home in California and their outlook on life (and the world) reflects that. My niece and nephew were raised in a white collar, conservative home in Iowa. Their views are diametrically opposed to my sons' and reflect their upbringing.
I used to lump all the people of the UK together as 'British' and thought of them all as the same. I've learnt through MN that there are many differences in the experiences and the people and the regions of the UK. That living in 'the North' may be different than living in 'the South'. That a Scot or a Welshman/woman may be raised differently or feel differently about issues than an Englishman/woman. In other words, you all don't drink tea, say 'Pip pip, cheerio' and curtsey to the Queen. Just as we all don't swig beer or Coke and sing 'Proud to be an American' (God, I hate that song).
I wish more people understood that there are many, many different 'Americas' within the US. We are one Country, but we are different people. I feel her article only contributed to the stereotype of Americans as ignorant, jingoistic twerps who need to be 'educated' about the rest of the world. Many of us already understand that we are a 'Global' world and have raised our children to be good citizens not only of the US, but of the rest of the world, too.