The new season of "American Horror Story" is upon us and people all around the world could not be more excited. Their past seasons have expanded on common fears. There has been "Murder House," "Asylum," "Coven," "Freak Show," "Hotel," and "Roanoke," which left many (definitely me) wondering what the next season would revolve around. Now, all seasons prior to this have revolved around spirits, murder, and witches; situations that don't affect everyone but are still scary to think about and those which many would dismiss as not being true.
That all being said, this season is based on Trump’s America and is titled "Cult," as far as we are concerned. Not everyone lives in or understands exactly what "Trump's America" is, so I'll explain. Essentially, things that have previously been publicly shamed, such as racism, lynching, hate crimes and constant threats because of the color of someone's skin, are all fair game. Now, while this is something that has happened to many since the day they were born, it was never so widespread. People had no problem denouncing it for what it was and people didn't dare record it or have white supremacist marches.
The president would not beat around the bush and fail to denounce white supremacy for fear of making people unhappy. That was never the case. Many people are living in fear because of the people they interact with every day. People are afraid to go to certain areas because of how others will see them and treat them. An eight-year-old biracial boy was taunted and nearly hung by a group of teenagers in New Hampshire because of his race. There was a massive white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia because they felt their rights were being infringed upon. I wish this was all a joke but this is what Trump’s America is like and this seems to be what the seventh season will be based upon.
There are some spoilers ahead but if you've seen the new trailer, you already know this.
In the very first episode, we see clips from the presidential campaign, with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It then becomes footage from the election night and the news coverage of states being won as Democrat or Republican. Then finally we see Donald Trump taking the stage as the 45th President of the United States, much to the dismay of Sarah Paulson and the others in her home. It's a home full of anger and mixed emotions, very similar to the actual election night; many wondering what they could have done different, how things will change and all around being afraid and wondering what this means for the future. Evan Peters comes in and we see him reacting in a strange way towards Trump’s win and while we don't know for what reasons, it seems like Peter’s character is a Trump supporter and he enjoys people’s fear and causing people emotional distress.
This season has something for everyone and it plays off of real-life fear. This is not a fear that you can wash away by watching cartoons after, this is real. The fact that I was genuinely afraid during the entire first episode just shows me that this season will be a good one.
Oh, there are also clowns in this season, a lot of them.