53. As by Stevie Wonder

"As" by Stevie Wonder

Written by Stevie Wonder
Produced by Stevie Wonder
Released on Songs in the Key of Life (September 28, 1976)
Released as a single October 1977
Peaked at #36 on Billboard Hot 100
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A lot of positive things can be said about Stevie Wonder: genius, prodigy, inspiration, perfection, and on and on and on. He's one of the greatest.

Unfortunately, what seems obvious to me and many others, is not universal. It's music. Nothing in music is universal. There are people who actually do not enjoy Stevie Wonder's music. In addition, there are people who don't like Stevie Wonder as a person. I learned this in a very real and very disturbing way when, a few years ago, I ventured down an internet rabbit hole and found people who genuinely believe that Stevie Wonder is not blind.

Obviously this is crazy. The sheer level of insanity necessary to even conceive of something like this is incredible, but there are people with video breakdowns and impassioned arguments touting the wild conspiracy theory that Stevie Wonder has faked his own disability.

I'd like to officially go on record stating that I absolutely do not believe this crazy theory. It is a tragedy that someone with so much talent can be left with the inability to see, and Stevie Wonder being able to overcome so much to become such an amazing artist is truly inspirational.

With how prevalent conspiracy theories have become in mainstream America, it probably shouldn't surprise me that people have elaborate conspiracy theories that disparage cultural icons like Stevie Wonder. Conspiracy theories are hot right now. Everyone's got one, and the internet has made them incredibly easy to spread. When I was younger, conspiracy theories were mostly centered around a handful of topics: the JFK assassination, UFOs, and exotic beasts (like sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster). Now there are conspiracy theories about everything, and many of them are either crazy or dangerous or both.

I consider myself a skeptic, so I will often find myself entertaining conspiracy theories or at least giving people on the internet and in my life the opportunity to explain themselves. Most of the time, the theories don't stand up to reason and thought. The earth is obviously not flat. That's pretty simple, but people still try to believe it. Fortunately a significant number of flat earthers go out and make videos trying to prove their side, that actually just prove that the earth is, in fact, round. I knew things were getting crazy when I started watching a video about the earth being flat and it started with the declaration, "Obviously we know that the moon is a hologram." This blew me away, not just that this person was claiming that the moon was a hologram, but the way he led with it, like it was axiomatic or an established fact.

Unfortunately, as much fun as it is to poke fun at conspiracy theorists, many of them have become dangerous. We saw this in action a few times over the past 4 years. There were small operations like the man who invaded a pizza franchise because he was convinced that he was going to liberate enslaved children in their basement. We also saw massive operations like the attempted coup at the Capitol Building that took place on January 6.

One of the things that is most troubling to me is that there are certainly legitimate conspiracies out there. There are people with great power who are using their money, power, and influence for their own benefit. Is it Illuminati or the Rothschilds? Almost certainly not. Is it a secret cabal of child sex traffickers? I certainly hope not. To me all the craziness that has taken over the discourse on the internet has acted as a very real distraction from some of the real things that everyday people do need to be concerned about. I think that big banks have too much wealth and power. I think that we give too much personal data too freely to big businesses. I think politicians are too often doing favors for the people and organizations with the most money. This stuff is happening, seemingly out in the open, but there's too much noise to figure out what's real and what's just an idiot with rudimentary video editing skills.

I also get very concerned with how much of what I would consider dangerous conspiracy theories are built on a foundation of anti-Semitism. It's truly alarming the number of times I have looked at something and thought, "well, they could be on to something," only to dig a little deeper and find that they are holocaust deniers and are still blaming things on specific Jewish families and individuals. It's gross. That's why I had to finally give up on the /r/conspiracy subreddit. I just wanted yetis and UFOs, but too many others in that group touted theories based on Jewish cabals running the world. Modern conspiracy theorists are ruining it for those of us raised on Unsolved Mysteries.

So, back to Stevie Wonder. He is a genius. People on the internet are sometimes ignorant and dangerous and can't let well enough alone. "As" is my favorite song of his. It's joyful, complex, and perfect, much like Mr. Wonder himself. I am so grateful that he was able to share his gifts with the world. I also still really hope that Big Foot is real.

Right now "As" by Stevie Wonder is (probably) my 53rd favorite song of all time.