Internet Goes Nuts for Arizona 'Demon' Photo — Are People Really This Stupid?

A viral photo of a "demon" from Arizona has people around the world wondering about the mysteries of our universe. Are you freaking kidding? Reportedly, Phoenix resident Richard Christianson snapped the picture while in Tucson, then loaded it to his Facebook account on New Year's Day. "What the hell do...

By Ray Stern

January 10, 2017

This image snapped by Facebook user Richard Christianson of Phoenix, as ripped by Thug Life Videos, has the internet thinking about demons. Thug Life Videos

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A viral photo of a "demon" from Arizona has people around the world wondering about the mysteries of our universe.

Are you freaking kidding?

Reportedly, Phoenix resident Richard Christianson snapped the picture while in Tucson, then loaded it to his Facebook account on New Year's Day.

"What the hell do you see in this picture for reals ??? Anybody," he wrote in the caption. He has since deleted the post.

This is what passes for "for reals" news in an age when "fake news" gets so much attention. While people ponder whether Breitbart.com or DailyKos.com should be considered fake news sites, so-called legitimate news sites continue to run bogus stories like this one. Nearly all news outlets covering this scoop pose the question breathlessly to their readers or viewers: Is it real?

To give but one recent example, The Christian Post, a popular Evangelical Christian news site, ran the story on Sunday with the headline: "Angel or Demon? Social Media Users Debate Winged Figure in Arizona Photo.

The photo has been shared thousands of times over the past few days, the "news" covered by local and international sites including various Phoenix TV news stations, KTAR (92.3 FM), and many others.

"Whether someone actually opened the gates of Hell or if it’s photoshop we may never know," blared a January 4 USA Today story.

If we are struggling with the question of whether the demon is real, why should anyone expect us to be able to point to the biggest liar in a presidential debate?

Christianson, who went viral in 2015 with a video depicting him rescuing a cat, seems disdainful of people who are overthinking his demon shot.

When venerated myth-busting site Snopes.com asked Christianson for a comment, he responded that he found the photo at Goodwill.

"Stupid-ass people... I'm done!" Christianson wrote, according to Snopes' Bethania Palmer.

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.