Proof: The Election Drove Half the Country Crazy and They're Not Coming Back

The show American Horror Story, which few watch any more and fewer talk about, will use election night 2016 as the horror, dread, and existential panic in every liberal's and NeverTrumper's permanently-infarcted hearts.

What is the thing that scares you the most?, an unknown voice asks in the beginning of the trailer.

"It is now official," a newsman says on TV, as if in response to the question. "Donald Trump is now the president of the United States."

And then the main character issues a primal scream.

Not even making this up. The trailer is embedded below the fold.

Apparently Donald Trump's election then reveals a sinister cult intent on terrorizing white liberals.

The first moment of American Horror Story: Cult is chill-inducing.

"I am running for president of the United States!" announces Donald Trump.

"I am running for president of the United States!" echoes Hillary Clinton.

No matter what side of the aisle, the flashback footage of the actual 2016 presidential campaign is an eerie place-setter, a reminder of how far away that moment in history feels in today's divided America.

As promised, the seventh season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck's FX anthology series kicks off with a minute-long ramp-up to 2016 election night. Using real footage of then-candidates Trump and Clinton, highlights down memory lane include mentions of Trump's wall, Clinton's emails and a growing "palpable fear" as protestors on both sides clash. "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK? It's like incredible," Trump says. The statement, so attacked at the time, now serves as a reminder that hindsight is 20-20.

Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) is sitting on the edge of his basement couch listening to Fox News as the chuckling anchors declare Trump the 45th president of the United States, winner of the most "unreal" and "surreal" election America has ever seen.

"The revolution has begun," Kai says softly. He then humps his big-screen TV, his blue hair thrusting in the air. "Fuck you world!" he screams before chanting "USA! USA!"

Over at the Mayfair-Richards' house, Ally (Sarah Paulson), her wife, Ivy (Alison Pill), young son Oz and their liberal-leaning friends are holding out hope, glued to MSNBC. "I won't believe anything until I hear Rachel Maddow say it, she's the only one I trust," says Ally before Pennsylvania is called. "It's the politics of fear, it always works," says her stunned friend, the Asian-American head council member in the show's Michigan-set town, population 10,000.

When MSNBC announces Clinton's concession phone call, Ally watches with tears in her eyes as Trump takes the stage, horror music at full swell. "Go to hell Huffington Post! Fuck you Nate Silver!" screams Ally as she falls, debilitated, to her knees. "Oh God, how could they have been so wrong about this!"

Later, it will be revealed that much to Ivy's dismay, Ally quietly voted for Green Party candidate Jill] Stein -- Murphy shining his season-seven spotlight on one parcel of American voters forced to face their own complicity in the election results. The council member also screams at his wife for not voting: "Look at our friends on the couch and tell them that they might not be able to maintain their rights as a married couple because you were too busy playing on Etsy to go vote!"

Kai, meanwhile, is busy mashing up bags of Cheetos in a blender, using the crumbs as orange makeup while he practices his "yuge" impression of Trump in the mirror. His sister, Winter Anderson (Billie Lourd), devoted her college semester to campaigning for Clinton. "She was supposed to win, is this really happening?" the depressed coed tells a friend before being interrupted by Kai. He then asks her to link pinky fingers. "I'm just so scared now," she says. "Everyone is," he replies with a smile.

These are not mentally-healthy people. Progressivism has always been more of mental crutch for the psychologically weak and mentally stunted than any kind of real politics -- it's basically just a primal scream about one's own perceived (or actual) inadequacy -- but now they're pretty much just coming out and admitting that.

Thanks to @ComradeArthur.

posted by Ace at 03:26 PM

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