Thursday (Internet sensation 'Alex from Target' is a Vikings fan?) edition: Wha' Happened?

The tale of "Alex from Target" is a fascinating and complex modern story about immediate fleeting fame in the digital world and the darker territory that comes with it.

A photo of 16-year-old Alex Lee working at a Target store in Texas was posted online and became an immediate sensation, which is kind of the way things happen today: randomly, for little reason, but reaching a critical mass with lightning speed. The backlash, too, arrives swiftly — as noted by this New York Times profile.

Within these rich societal quandaries, though, lies another question pointed out to us by the Star Tribune's Casey Common: Is Alex from Target a Vikings fan?

That question is asked based on photographic evidence from that NYT story — a portrait of Alex in his bedroom in Frisco, Texas. We've zoomed in on the relevant parts:

A Vikings cap, a Vikings decal on his mirror and what appears to be — yes — a Brett Favre Vikings poster. The story makes no mention of this fandom (and why would it), but we're going to roll with it.

We can only hope this doesn't become a distraction to the Vikings like Justin Bieber was to the Steelers.