# What does that joke from "Training Day" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735 "2003-04-28T18:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/1 "2003-04-28T18:08:06Z")
In **Training Day** , Scott Glenn’s drug-dealer character tells Jake Hoyt a story about a snail on the porch and who gets busted up by the house owner, finally getting kicked into the lawn. After a year, he climbs all the way back onto the porch, and when the owner sees him, he goes “What the fuck’s your problem?!” According to the drug dealer, if you can figure this parable out, you know what life on the streets is all about. Was there really a moral to this story, or was the dealer just screwing with Hoyt? ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/2 "2003-04-28T18:22:58Z")
I dunno…it sounds like he is alluding to the amount of time and effort it took the snail to get back to the house just to confront the guy for being kicked off to that being life on the streets. Perhaps he means, from the Owner’s point of view, that small things such as tossing the snail may come back to haunt you even after a while. That you must be sure what you are doing is what you want to do or that you will have pay consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/3 "2003-04-28T18:23:21Z")
Well, i haven’t seen the movie, but the joke is the snail still holds a mad-on for getting kicked and even if it takes a year to crawl his slow, snail behind back up to the porch, he’s going to let that guy have a piece of his mind. I guess the lesson could be, don’t forget those who wronged you or who you wronged. Get your revenge, or look out for those seeking revenge on you cause it could happen when you don’t expect it to. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/4 "2003-04-28T18:28:41Z")
I agree with Max Carnage; ie, you might not remember who you kicked, but they will remember you-and they carry grudges. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/5 "2003-04-28T19:12:23Z")
The snail is worthless, and even though he got his ass kicked, he wasted a year coming back and is about to get his ass kicked _again_. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/6 "2003-04-28T19:49:50Z")
Why’d the snail paint an “S” on his car? ---
**Author:** ![Realhoops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@Realhoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Realhoops)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/7 "2003-04-28T19:53:02Z")
I think I agree more with Barbarian on this one. I thought the point of the parable was that if you’re a snail it doesn’t matter how hard you work to get back on the porch after getting kicked off, and it doesn’t matter how long you spend getting back up there, in the end you’re still a snail and there isn’t a darn thing you can do to that guy who is just going to kick you right off the porch again. I thought the lesson was that on the streets there are “men on porches” and there are “snails” and no matter how long or hard the “snails” work, in the end the “men on the porches” will do whatever it suits them to do and they could care less about the time and effort put forth by the “snails” to try to climb the ladder. I see the point about how things can come back to haunt you, except that I don’t see how that snail is going to do anything at all to haunt the owner of the house… ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/8 "2003-04-29T00:03:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*I guess the lesson could be, don’t forget those who wronged you or who you wronged. Get your revenge, or look out for those seeking revenge on you cause it could happen when you don’t expect it to. \*\* Like I don’t already have enough on my plate. Now, I’ve gotta worry about Marvin “Stinky” Frankle coming to get me after I stuck his head down the toilet 25 years ago in second grade. ☹ Thanks for the responses, guys. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/9 "2003-05-01T00:30:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by metroshane \* > \*\*Why’d the snail paint an “S” on his car? \*\* Because eachy Nissan, she go! ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/10 "2003-05-01T00:50:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by metroshane \* > \*\*Why’d the snail paint an “S” on his car? \*\* S car go! ---
**Author:** ![Raisk1986](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@Raisk1986](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raisk1986)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/11 "2013-01-29T09:25:23Z")
Nah its about understanding that something no matter how small and insignificant it may be can always get back to you…Always keep your friends close and your enemies closer…Its the same reason that “Alonzo” is apparently best friends with the drug dealer…until he takes him out…In this instance hes a cop so he can get away with something like that…but like i said no matter how small a diss or whatever itll come back to bite you in the ass… ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/12 "2013-01-29T09:32:37Z")
I think the story is like a metaphor for zombie threads. Sorry guys, I couldn’t resist ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-that-joke-from-training-day-mean/171735/13 "2013-01-29T13:48:07Z")
King Kong ain’t got nuthin’ on me!