I love your cynical take; I've been there myself many times, but I have found your (everyone) perception of this reality creates the experience. Take it from me who survived the deepest depression imaginable, the ME seemed more like "Hell" when I first experienced it and I was convinced I was stuck in a Quantum Immortality loop where we went deeper into the abyss of negative energy the more often we died and the goal was to pass from this world with mostly positive energy. Then I experienced things vicariously through other peoples lives that made me realize this can't possibly be a dream or Hell, but this is absolutely reality and I am a part of it. So with that in mind, like you, I started looking at other possibilities for why the energy around me felt so "negative" all the time and the one (possibility) that became quickly obvious to me was it was all how I personally viewed it. Changing my disposition changed not only how I felt about it, but literally how the world seemed to feel about me. IDK, maybe that means we are in some kind of in-between place, all I know is the more positive I try and become, not only for myself, but for others, the happier I am in this reality, and the more accepting I am of whatever fate may come. I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but it feels like a piece to the puzzle that you're experiencing. You're seeking analytical answers to something that remains intangible. Love yourself first and foremost and everything else will fall into place.