I certainly agree with the premise of it. I don't understand parents who sound like their own teen-age children, complaining, "Why do I need this. I'll never use it." It's an all too common stance about such obviously useful core subjects as higher math and history. It is as if people who say such things can't see the greater picture to begin with, so have no appreciation of the miriad ways knowledge of such subjects influence an entire way of thinking, as well as giving a deeper and wider point of view.
Is it any wonder, then, a growing number of our citizenry fails to think deeply, to be able to reason for themselves, or to even question important subjects with intelligence? The "dumbing down of America" I've heard it called. It is a national disgrace and reason for serious concern.
Of course, the article is correct, that much current political debate only relies on very recent ("personal experience") history and this is the result of not studying and appreciating centuries of history across the world. The natural consequence is a very limited world view (or personal paradigm, if you will). I suspect there is a direct correlation between the limited degree of knowledge of world history and the entrenchment of personal paradigm. The more precious and entrenched one's world view becomes, the less able one is to have the proverbial eye-opening, the realization that one's position/stance might truly be in error, sometimes referred to as "paradigm shift".
It's liable to get worse before it gets better. Cynical, I know, but I see no reason to believe this deplorable trend won't continue.