AboutWhat does the meme depict?

Harmless Scout Leader, also known as 'Creepy Scoutmaster', is a meme in the bait-and-switch image macro genre, similar to memes like Rasta Science Teacher, Dating Site Murderer, and Successful Black Man. The template typically features an unsettling image of a Boy Scouts scoutmaster. The text on the template is split into two parts: the top text often begins with a phrase that might suggest inappropriate intentions, but the bottom text concludes the sentence in a way that clarifies he is actually harmless, thus dispelling the initial concern.

OriginWho did it first?

The meme, titled 'Harmless Scout Leader', was created by a Redditor under the pseudonym GrandadsLadyFriend, who introduced it in a Reddit thread on April 25th, 2011. A day after the thread, a dedicated page was set up on Quickmeme to facilitate the creation and sharing of variations of this meme. The photograph used in the meme is traced back to a January 2011 article in the Roanoke Times, which highlighted volunteer leadership among Scoutmasters and welcomed new Eagle Scouts in the Blue Ridge Mountains Council of Virginia.^[1]

Origin: 2011