This paper introduces the Beached Whale Hypothesis, a conceptual framework linking nationalism to collective cognitive disorientation. Drawing analogies from marine strandings, it interprets socio-political extremism as a product of affective and informational imbalance. The proposed Tensional Realignment Model (TRM) offers a neurocognitive explanation for how societies recalibrate emotional, temporal, and structural equilibrium through distributed tension management. Integrating insights from affective neuroscience, ecological systems theory, and social dynamics, the study situates nationalism as an emergent symptom of affective compression under digital acceleration. By comparing the global diffusion of the MAGA movement with the evolution of Japanese online nationalism, the paper frames digital populism as a “magnetic realignment failure.” The TRM thus proposes a post-national governance approach that sustains adaptability and emotional diversity by restoring systemic oscillation between affective and informational poles.
Hitoshi Akimoto (Tue,) studied this question.
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