Jerg,
Have you ever studied selective perception? I don't want to put a downer on what you've written and what you've suggested, but ther's a tendency for people to see patterns they want to see, or even if they don't "want" to see it.

I probably won't explain this very eloquently but what you are perceiving as "strange" and "different" may not in fact be the true state, but may actually arise from the way you are sensing something, and thereby you are becoming aware of sensing it and are becoming aware of others who are in the same state of awareness...told you I may not explain it very well :-)
But do you see what I'm saying?

Just another thing to keep us awake at night ;-)

Jaq