For those who aren't capable of reading into things as far as I did earlier...here's another way of looking at it...which is actually being the opposite of what I said below, but you should get the point.
The man walking out of his house is Roger. The snail...I.E. law enforcement are investigating him...but can't convict him. Alonzo can't figure out what to do, which constitutes the snail busting its shell all to shit. Now that he came back...Roger asks "What the fuck's your problem?"
The original joke has the 'snail' say 'What the fuck's your problem?'. So this is a twist on the original joke. It doesn't matter how big and hard you are, the streets will always come back for you.
There is no moral to the story. There are no morals in the streets. That's what this rookie cops does not understand and didn't understand throughout the entire movie. He wanted to be ethical and naive, he had no idea the streets actually operated this way.
For me in the riddle the man represents the cops, the snail represents the criminals, and the cop throws the snail away, as if cleaning the streets, but the snail goes back to the front of the house-as if representing that crimes that will keep coming. Only a rookie would think that he/she can stop the criminals and be a superhero, but it takes time to learn the streets-to know eventually that no matter what, there will always be crimes, and you can't never totally stop it.
Love this movie, classic movie and classic scene. 10 years later and people still debate about the "joke" and what it means. I agree with roccklimber24 though. Thats a good point, because Alonzo didn't laugh and alonzo then says, "If it aint funny then what you laughing for?" Its more of a test than a joke, to get the reaction of someone and see what they do.
I don't get how this is an example of a "no soap, radio" joke, since it totally does make sense as a "normal" joke rather than an absurdist, nonsensical joke
Ok...This is the meaning of the joke. Its a joke on the Justice system. The snail is a criminal, gets arrested and thrown in jail. Gets out in a year and goes right back to what landed him in jail in the first place. Bottom line, no matter what the system does to a criminal, it won't change a dam thing!
@2BeKontinewed could be an allegory for street politics. "the man," represents a superior to "the snail," in some form or fashion, depending on the scale/type of the situation and the players involved. the back yard could be a metaphor for the streets. the snails eventual emergence from the back yard, which was immediately followed by the mans aggressive inquiry, illustrates both the constant pressures and short-lived glorification experienced in the streets.
@2BeKontinewed could be an allegory for street politics. "the man," represents a superior to "the snail," in some form or fashion, depending on the scale/type of the operation and the players involved. the back yard could be a metaphor for the streets. the snails eventual emergence from the back yard, which was immediately followed by the mans aggressive inquiry, illustrates both the constant pressures and short-lived glorification experienced in the streets.
Okay, everybody seems to be missing what the entire point of this part of the movie was for - it was for foreshadowing. Near the end of the movie, Alonzo completely screws over the rookie and leaves him in the heart of the ghetto to get executed by gangsters (just like the man kicked the snail far into the yard) but he ended up having enough heart to "crawl back" to Alonzo and confront him again. This joke was the first clue that Alonzo was going to betray the protagonist.
It was a test.Rookie became a Snail.He acted from a standpoint of victim. If he were really badass he would say somethin like 'No problem at all ' or STFU ,instead he just laughed.
There is one simple answer to this riddle: Conformity. The joke is not a joke at all, it is testing whether the guy will conform and laugh, or show a backbone and not laugh.
Although, some of the below explanations are pretty funny, if deluded.
Be ruthless, whether you're the man or the snail. Its the only way you're going to survive the streets. If you're the man, then you don't underestimate the snail and you crush it the first time to deny it the opportunity to f*ck up your shit a second time. If you're the snail, then don't expect any favors or compassion and know your goddamn place.
i think the man represents alonzo, and the snail represents jake. alonzo doesn't notice what's around him, he just blindly rushes straight ahead. alonzo is driven by the score, not the job. jake being young, dumb, and naive is driven by the job. rain nor shine, blood nor guts he's going to protect and serve. which means he's going to honor the badge at all cost. so when he takes alonzo's dirty money and badge, alonzo was like what the fuck? and, jake was like, i'm just doing the job.......
'No soap radio', isn't that the punchline that you give to a joke that makes no sense whatsoever just to see if people laugh because they think they're supposed to?
This joke is brilliant, I love it, I've told it to about twenty people and half of them cracked up when i told it, the other half were still waiting for a punchline.
Well, I find that having the snail look up at the guy, and say "What the hell was that all about?" is much funnier. He screwed up the delivery of the joke.
I think the meaning of the joke is that: the guy tosses the snail the first time because he has no respect for him. When he sees that the snail worked his way back, he could easily toss him again, yet he doesn't. Why? Because he respects the snail now. I think it alludes to the end of the movie when Jake goes to confront Alonzo and he gets stopped at the gate. They let him pass because they are starting to respect him. When he takes Alonzo's badge later, Jake earns their respect fully.
that's exactly what i said. and some stupid bitch gave me 2 thumbs down. awesome scene nevertheless. i still wish director or david ayer would interprete it themselves.
My interp: The fact that no one has a definate answer is the whole point of this joke. The point of this joke is that you can't fully understand it!!! You can try to work it out but in the end it is open to interpretation and there is no definate answer. That's what the drug dealer was saying. No one person can have the streets totally figured out. The street does not follow 1 set of rules or have a definate formula. The rules are made from different people's views, interpritations and actions.
i think it's just goes to tell that on the street noone gives a shit about you, and if you come back they will fuck you up again and again. i know it's that famous not funny joke trick. but there is some deeper sense to it though.
It wasn't a joke. It was a trick on the rookie. The joke made no sense and wasn't funny, yet the rookie laughed. He laughed because he thought he was being told a funny joke, and was expected to laugh. Lesson is, think for yourself and be in control of your own emotions, not react how others want you to. Just my thoughts on this.. not 100% sure.
yeah you pretty much said it but for osme reason when i saw this shit in thetare i luaghed soo damn hard it was retarded i swear lol. its now officialy the greatest joke ever told in the history of man kind lol
@rockklimber24 this is right, the entry by 2bekontinewed was a good analysis but it is infact rockklimber24 who has it spot on, he showed weakness by laughing at the joke whereas if he had not laughed he would be considered strong and a self thinker, something which can prove deadly on the streets, who would you feel more compelled to attack or rob, a strong man or a weak one? this is how it ties into the streets
@rockklimber24 finally, someone who understands. thats EXACTLY what's going on. its to see how cool jake is. the big shot drug dealer tells him a joke with nothing funny about it at all, and jake, even tho he doesn't get it, feels obliged to laugh. when he realises he just made a fool out of himself, he then gets the whole point, much to alonso's surprise. jake quite correctly realises its all about using your emotions intelligently to get what you want on the streets.
No soap radio :)
kasasesu666 2 weeks ago
It's a non-joke joke. It's not supposed to make sense. That's the point. You can't figure the streets out.
RamenOps 1 month ago
For those who aren't capable of reading into things as far as I did earlier...here's another way of looking at it...which is actually being the opposite of what I said below, but you should get the point.
The man walking out of his house is Roger. The snail...I.E. law enforcement are investigating him...but can't convict him. Alonzo can't figure out what to do, which constitutes the snail busting its shell all to shit. Now that he came back...Roger asks "What the fuck's your problem?"
SFIII8510 1 month ago
The message in this joke is that the snail didn't learn its lesson after being thrown and banged up near death it still came back
truestory8328 1 month ago
@truestory8328 No....this is in fact NOT the message this was trying to send.
The snail constitutes the American people. The man on his way to work constitutes our government.
Figure it out.
SFIII8510 1 month ago
...anyway, phenomenal scene.
Jtangri 2 months ago
The original joke has the 'snail' say 'What the fuck's your problem?'. So this is a twist on the original joke. It doesn't matter how big and hard you are, the streets will always come back for you.
Jtangri 2 months ago
Does anyone notice how whenever Hoyt is talking to someone... the other person's pager or phone goes off? is there any significance to that or no?
coolguyinthe562 3 months ago
i actually found the joke funny when i first heard it and burst out laughing haha gets me everytime
tiopira5 4 months ago
Jake Hoyt: You know, I already figured 'em out.
Alonzo Harris: Really?
Roger: You already figured the streets out.
Jake Hoyt: It's all about smiles and cries.
Alonzo Harris: Put the drink down, man, the motherfuckers out of his mind.
Roger: Hold on, Alonzo, hold on. Smiles and cries, smiles and cries, I hear ya.
Jake Hoyt: Yeah. You gotta control your smiles and cries, because that's all you have and nobody can take that away from you.
Troublesome2008 4 months ago
the streets = everyones a follower. he laugh he was a follower
XxXxXxXx420xXxXxXxX 4 months ago
am i the only one that finds this joke funny
SteakBeats 4 months ago
Definitely not an example of a No Soap Radio joke.. more anti-humor if you ask me..
lightthiscity11 5 months ago
There is no moral to the story. There are no morals in the streets. That's what this rookie cops does not understand and didn't understand throughout the entire movie. He wanted to be ethical and naive, he had no idea the streets actually operated this way.
hiphopbandwagon 5 months ago
For me in the riddle the man represents the cops, the snail represents the criminals, and the cop throws the snail away, as if cleaning the streets, but the snail goes back to the front of the house-as if representing that crimes that will keep coming. Only a rookie would think that he/she can stop the criminals and be a superhero, but it takes time to learn the streets-to know eventually that no matter what, there will always be crimes, and you can't never totally stop it.
planexxjane 5 months ago
1 person never figured the streets out
Marcusx1980 6 months ago
Love this movie, classic movie and classic scene. 10 years later and people still debate about the "joke" and what it means. I agree with roccklimber24 though. Thats a good point, because Alonzo didn't laugh and alonzo then says, "If it aint funny then what you laughing for?" Its more of a test than a joke, to get the reaction of someone and see what they do.
Slimkidd730 6 months ago
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Whenever I watch this, In my head I'm thinking of me watching a man on a porch yelling "THE FUCK"S YOUR PROBLEM" to a little snail :)
goldturd 7 months ago
Whenever I watch this, In my head I'm thinking of me watching a man on a porch yelling "THE FUCK"S YOUR PROBLEM" to a little snail :)
goldturd 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL ! Good stuff ! you might get a kick out my videos too. Check them out sometime when you get a chance.
begood4000 7 months ago
I don't get how this is an example of a "no soap, radio" joke, since it totally does make sense as a "normal" joke rather than an absurdist, nonsensical joke
.
w1nt3rmut3 9 months ago
Ok...This is the meaning of the joke. Its a joke on the Justice system. The snail is a criminal, gets arrested and thrown in jail. Gets out in a year and goes right back to what landed him in jail in the first place. Bottom line, no matter what the system does to a criminal, it won't change a dam thing!
RageKing117 1 year ago 3
@2BeKontinewed WOW, this was gold. Well done! I didn't even think about this scene and the significance.
AWDracer 1 year ago
Asch Conformity Experiment, No Soap Radio, Milgram Experiment.
jiveturkeyusa 1 year ago
@2BeKontinewed could be an allegory for street politics. "the man," represents a superior to "the snail," in some form or fashion, depending on the scale/type of the situation and the players involved. the back yard could be a metaphor for the streets. the snails eventual emergence from the back yard, which was immediately followed by the mans aggressive inquiry, illustrates both the constant pressures and short-lived glorification experienced in the streets.
bjh923 1 year ago
@2BeKontinewed could be an allegory for street politics. "the man," represents a superior to "the snail," in some form or fashion, depending on the scale/type of the operation and the players involved. the back yard could be a metaphor for the streets. the snails eventual emergence from the back yard, which was immediately followed by the mans aggressive inquiry, illustrates both the constant pressures and short-lived glorification experienced in the streets.
bjh923 1 year ago
The Fuck's Your Problem!
runeplate123 1 year ago 2
No Soap, Radio
AKA
It's alright, I left my bike outside.
Figure that shit out, you'll figure this clip out.
billymagfhloinn 1 year ago
Okay, everybody seems to be missing what the entire point of this part of the movie was for - it was for foreshadowing. Near the end of the movie, Alonzo completely screws over the rookie and leaves him in the heart of the ghetto to get executed by gangsters (just like the man kicked the snail far into the yard) but he ended up having enough heart to "crawl back" to Alonzo and confront him again. This joke was the first clue that Alonzo was going to betray the protagonist.
WesTheGod 1 year ago 5
its not a joke.. its just a test to see if jake laughs or not.. it shows weakness to laugh at something which is not funny
clikclik1 1 year ago 2
@clikclik1 except this is actually funny
ehjayaretea 1 year ago
It's all about smiles and cries..
abaddon1112 1 year ago 2
"The fuck's your problem!?" haha
abaddon1112 1 year ago
by the mere fact that there is nothing to "get" since this is a no soap radio, the man is saying the dude will never figure the streets out. the end.
SexyProductions2003 1 year ago
@2BeKontinewed No way dude.... Its all about smiles and cries. lol
JTara20 1 year ago
it's funny people's interpretations of this video lol just look up "no soap radio"
catdavis01 1 year ago
It was a test.Rookie became a Snail.He acted from a standpoint of victim. If he were really badass he would say somethin like 'No problem at all ' or STFU ,instead he just laughed.
relocer 1 year ago
@relocer Basically it's saying no one cares whether you are here or not on the streets.
Stitchman3875 1 year ago
@2BeKontinewed very well played *tips hat*,i could not figure it out for the life of me
bravo161224 1 year ago
Comment removed
keytoothed 1 year ago
There is one simple answer to this riddle: Conformity. The joke is not a joke at all, it is testing whether the guy will conform and laugh, or show a backbone and not laugh.
Although, some of the below explanations are pretty funny, if deluded.
Jack10144 2 years ago 3
thats the purpose of the "no soap radio" joke. But this does have meaning hence why he adds: "figure the joke out, you'll figure the streets out."
ssir9 2 years ago
Deluded or not, at least they're not selectively deaf like you, who happened to completely block out the last line of the clip.
Loonie2008 2 years ago
@Jack10144 i really like that explanation .....r u sure i mean 100% sure thats right?
arkangel8419 2 years ago
I think you're right. And rockklimber24 summed it up pretty well too.
Juniversal 1 year ago
Be ruthless, whether you're the man or the snail. Its the only way you're going to survive the streets. If you're the man, then you don't underestimate the snail and you crush it the first time to deny it the opportunity to f*ck up your shit a second time. If you're the snail, then don't expect any favors or compassion and know your goddamn place.
digitalcubano 2 years ago
meaning of joke- don't expect an apology, the streets are rough
the snail went all the way to the mans door who broke his shell. the man didn't give a fuck about the snail or what happened to his shell
mothafuckinrenegade 2 years ago
OMG!! I love this part!! Jake starts bustin up laughin and Denzel's looking at him like, "What the hell are you laughing at??" HAHA
Chevellefan01 2 years ago 3
Moral of the story: You get knocked down in the streets, you get right back up
dgatan 2 years ago
And they will knock you right down again.
You get knocked on your ass, then you do all you can do to get back up and guess what, they can knock you right down again.
Hence the "fucks your problem" line...he's basically saying to the snail "are you fuckin' stupid??"
No matter what you do, they can/will knock you right down again.
That's the moral of the story.
hoganlongfellow 2 years ago
the fuck's your problem?
hahaha xD
Alonzo looks like saying "What the fuck are you laughing at?"
JuampiLescano 2 years ago
i think the man represents alonzo, and the snail represents jake. alonzo doesn't notice what's around him, he just blindly rushes straight ahead. alonzo is driven by the score, not the job. jake being young, dumb, and naive is driven by the job. rain nor shine, blood nor guts he's going to protect and serve. which means he's going to honor the badge at all cost. so when he takes alonzo's dirty money and badge, alonzo was like what the fuck? and, jake was like, i'm just doing the job.......
nobody36 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Fucking kill yourself you stupid fucking moron.
ourben 2 years ago
It's just a load of crap guys. I guess michaelpeternorman's interpretation is the most acurate.
Xx
sjonbakkie 2 years ago
'No soap radio', isn't that the punchline that you give to a joke that makes no sense whatsoever just to see if people laugh because they think they're supposed to?
This joke is brilliant, I love it, I've told it to about twenty people and half of them cracked up when i told it, the other half were still waiting for a punchline.
Th3Z0ne 2 years ago
Well, I find that having the snail look up at the guy, and say "What the hell was that all about?" is much funnier. He screwed up the delivery of the joke.
caspianhiro 2 years ago
I think the meaning of the joke is that: the guy tosses the snail the first time because he has no respect for him. When he sees that the snail worked his way back, he could easily toss him again, yet he doesn't. Why? Because he respects the snail now. I think it alludes to the end of the movie when Jake goes to confront Alonzo and he gets stopped at the gate. They let him pass because they are starting to respect him. When he takes Alonzo's badge later, Jake earns their respect fully.
jackmcmuffin 2 years ago 4
that's exactly what i said. and some stupid bitch gave me 2 thumbs down. awesome scene nevertheless. i still wish director or david ayer would interprete it themselves.
dr1345 3 years ago
thumb him down >=O
30mate 3 years ago
My interp: The fact that no one has a definate answer is the whole point of this joke. The point of this joke is that you can't fully understand it!!! You can try to work it out but in the end it is open to interpretation and there is no definate answer. That's what the drug dealer was saying. No one person can have the streets totally figured out. The street does not follow 1 set of rules or have a definate formula. The rules are made from different people's views, interpritations and actions.
michaelpeternorman 4 years ago
this video clip came up with my search for "No Soap, Radio". rightfully so. It's a non-joke.
simonjeste 4 years ago
o man i was randomly thinking of this scene for like 2 days and just now got around to looking it up, thanks for the upload man!
tail08th 4 years ago
same here. it was stuck in my head for a day or 2, so here i am.
shiroisan87 4 years ago
THE FUKS YOUR PROBLEM!
man i was watching this moive faded and its a trip!
But i dont realy get the joke. unless its trying to say dont try to impress someone if its what you are really fealing.IDK just my thought!
osunason 4 years ago
i think it's just goes to tell that on the street noone gives a shit about you, and if you come back they will fuck you up again and again. i know it's that famous not funny joke trick. but there is some deeper sense to it though.
dr1345 4 years ago
you are stupid. it means you must kill someone completley, if not he will regenerate
rulerss 4 years ago
retard
dr1345 3 years ago
Please add Scott Glenn and Roger to the tags.
1f5sda 4 years ago 2
It wasn't a joke. It was a trick on the rookie. The joke made no sense and wasn't funny, yet the rookie laughed. He laughed because he thought he was being told a funny joke, and was expected to laugh. Lesson is, think for yourself and be in control of your own emotions, not react how others want you to. Just my thoughts on this.. not 100% sure.
rockklimber24 4 years ago 45
yeah you pretty much said it but for osme reason when i saw this shit in thetare i luaghed soo damn hard it was retarded i swear lol. its now officialy the greatest joke ever told in the history of man kind lol
K1LLJOY818 4 years ago
search Wikipedia for "No Soap, Radio" to learn more :)
simonjeste 4 years ago
@rockklimber24 this is right, the entry by 2bekontinewed was a good analysis but it is infact rockklimber24 who has it spot on, he showed weakness by laughing at the joke whereas if he had not laughed he would be considered strong and a self thinker, something which can prove deadly on the streets, who would you feel more compelled to attack or rob, a strong man or a weak one? this is how it ties into the streets
rosakop1 9 months ago 3
@rockklimber24 finally, someone who understands. thats EXACTLY what's going on. its to see how cool jake is. the big shot drug dealer tells him a joke with nothing funny about it at all, and jake, even tho he doesn't get it, feels obliged to laugh. when he realises he just made a fool out of himself, he then gets the whole point, much to alonso's surprise. jake quite correctly realises its all about using your emotions intelligently to get what you want on the streets.
well done man!
ighfee 2 months ago
@rockklimber24 It's funny BECAUSE it doesn't make sense.
ClassicalPan 1 month ago
No soap radio.
SpikeD1 4 years ago
hahah love it
juventusadp 4 years ago