I don’t think this is as true as you make out. For the vast majority of people (who are born, live and die all in the same country/language community) should it really be their #1 priority to learn English? For example, a street food vendor in Chengdu, a phone salesman in Belo Horizonte, or a roofing contractor in Avignon. Or even a professor at a small university in Kagoshima. Learning English would probably open up some new opportunities for all these people. But to the extent they should dedicate years of study time to it? I’m not sure.
The same can be said about a cell phone, a car or electric. It's just a matter of time before the globalization and modern way of life hit everybody. But it's always subject to individual who's decided to go offgrid, one can always say No to English and happily ever after. It's a choice with hefty consequences, that's all one needs to know.
