Having lived through this era, I would say you're partially right. But there were a couple of other things that you're missing.

One. Global communication simply wasn't there. Sure, there were some of us who knew how to game the phone system and connect small networks of pissant computers and talk to similar youth in other nations, but the vast majority of Americans were not really aware of the rest of the world. We knew, sort of, about Russia, and the U.K., but everything else was glossed over like it didn't exist or was some little village. I was in my 30's by the time most Americans became aware that there even WAS a larger world.

Two, at the low level, we were taught relentlessly by the right *and* the left that we were miles ahead of everyone technologically, morally, etc. It was incredibly pervasive. The media, so demonized by the far right now, was totally in bed with the whole Capitalism Uber Alles that led us here.

To their credit, the mainstream and (later) cable media started being a little more balanced by about the end of the 90's, but they still presented the US as if the rest of the world was just dying to be us. Maybe we had some flaws though...

Then, after 9/11, everything fell off a cliff, but we refused or were unable to see it. Not everyone, but I have to admit that I was at least partially as blind as my countrymen. Where I, and some I knew, were different is that we were willing to ask questions. That quickly became forbidden on the right, and vaguely suspicious even if you were liberal leaning.