# Chris Hansen Chris Hansen is the American Dateline NBC journalist whose 'To Catch a Predator' ambushes of online sexual predators made him an internet folk figure. Since 2007, his face and catchphrase 'why don't you take a seat right over there' have circulated as reaction images and 4chan warning flags for inappropriate content involving minors. ## Overview Chris Hansen is an American television journalist who hosted the Dateline NBC segment 'To Catch a Predator' from November 2004 to December 2007[1]. On the show, adult volunteers from the group Perverted Justice posed as 13-year-olds in chat rooms, invited grown men to a rigged house, and Hansen greeted each guest with printed chat logs and the line, 'why don't you take a seat right over there'[3]. On 4chan and other imageboards, Hansen's face works as a moderator flag. Posting his image in a thread signals that illegal content involving minors may have been shared, functioning like Pedobear as a warning icon[2]. Around that core use sits a wider library of Hansen edits, disguise Photoshops, and copypastas keyed to the predator-catching bit. ## How It Spread By late 2007, Hansen was folded into /b/'s seasonal culture, appearing in both a Halloween thread and a Christmas thread that year[2]. South Park piled on with an October 3rd, 2007 parody titled 'Le Petit Tourette,' which staged its own version of the ambush format. A copypasta called 'Chips Handon' surfaced around December 29th, 2008. Paired with a poorly Photoshopped image of Hansen in a fake beard and sunglasses, it asked posters to send 'PC' instead of 'CP,' a bait aimed at tricking users into sending illegal images to Hansen himself[2]. Chips Handon reached Reddit threads and World of Warcraft forums. Critics attacked the show throughout its run. A January 2007 Columbia Journalism Review article argued that Dateline was operating as an unlicensed law enforcement arm, and a 2008 Guardian critique described the format as making viewers 'feel sorry for potential child rapists'[1]. The 'take a seat' line and Hansen's stare kept circulating in threads and reaction images long after the show ended. ## How to Use The Chris Hansen format typically means pasting a screenshot or reaction image of Hansen after a suspicious post, or dropping the 'why don't you take a seat right over there' line in reply to anyone acting creepy in a chat[3]. Common convention includes Photoshopped edits where Hansen appears in a fake beard, wig, or costume 'infiltrating' a board[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Chris Hansen? A journalist and TV host best known for the Dateline NBC segment 'To Catch a Predator'[1], whose likeness circulates on 4chan and other imageboards as a warning icon about inappropriate content involving minors[2]. ### Where did Chris Hansen come from? Meme use of Hansen traces to an August 4th, 2007 /b/ thread on 4chan where he was depicted wearing obviously fake disguises trying to 'infiltrate' the message board[2]. ### What does Chris Hansen mean? Posting his image signals suspected illegal content in a thread, or plays off his catchphrase, 'why don't you take a seat right over there'[3]. ### How do you use Chris Hansen? People typically drop the 'take a seat' line or a Hansen screenshot in reply to a creepy post, or share Photoshopped edits of him in disguise 'infiltrating' a board[2]. ### Is Chris Hansen still popular? It's classic-era meme material, most active on 4chan from 2007 through the early 2010s alongside the show's original NBC run from 2004 to 2007[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/may/31/features16.theguide6]() 2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chris-hansen]() 3. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Chris%20Hansen]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/chris-hansen Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library