“Hey, look, this is nothing to laugh at.”
Why it's great
One flat line shuts down the whole room's laughter.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
This is nothing to joke about at work.
00:00 / 03:04
00:00 / 03:04
Inmates Forced to Read Aloud, Explained
Bad Boys · 1983
Chapter 5 of 9 · 3'04"
The class is supposedly about reading, but the teacher's "you think of yourself as a moron" makes it a lesson in humiliation. When the literacy test comes back, the room learns the real stakes: most of them read at a third-grade level.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:27–2:28
❝ Monologue · 9 lines Teacher Reads Out the Test Scores
61s
Inmates Forced to Read Aloud, explained
What happens
In a juvenile detention classroom, a teacher calls on the boys one by one to read a sentence aloud. Perretti stumbles, Lofgren stumbles, and O'Brien gets the same treatment. The teacher then reads out their literacy test results and assigns a comic-book report, while the room's attention shifts to old grudges.
What's really going on
The reading exercise isn't really about reading. The teacher tells them, "maybe if some of you could read, you wouldn't be in here," using their illiteracy as a weapon, then softens it with a comic-book assignment that feels like a joke at their expense. The boys answer with their own hierarchy: O'Brien is "something else," and someone jokes that Lofgren can't handle the work — "he has a mouth." Meanwhile the class splits along its usual lines of bullying and resentment, and the scene shows how the institution keeps everyone small. The education here is less about skills than about rank.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Hey, look, this is nothing to laugh at.”
- The teacher cuts off the laughter. Their reading failures are serious to him, not entertainment, and he wants the room to treat it that way.
- “Now, maybe if some of you could read, you wouldn't be in here.”
- He ties their illiteracy directly to their imprisonment, blaming their situation on a basic skill they lack.
- “Look, you think of yourself as a moron, you can't feel that good about yourself, now, can you?”
- He argues that accepting the label of stupid damages them, and tries to make reading feel like a matter of self-respect.
- “You should be in the third grade.”
- The test results show most of them read at a third-grade level, a blunt slap at their age and pride.
- “I want you to read the comic book I'm gonna give you and write a report on it.”
- This is his own version of a reading test: easy material, plus a written report that still demands spelling and punctuation.
- “Sir, I don't think Lofgren can handle this.”
- A jab disguised as concern. Someone suggests the big, quiet inmate is too slow for the work, which earns a sharp reply.
- “I'm not telling you again.”
- A flat warning. His patience is gone, and the next step will be punishment, not talk.
Theme
- Power — The teacher holds the room through humiliation, turning reading ability into a tool of control.
- Identity — Labels like "moron" and "third grade" are meant to fix the boys in place.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level6/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Now, maybe if some of you could read, you wouldn't be in here.”
Why it's great
A conditional turns a classroom fact into a quiet insult.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you had trained, you wouldn't be on the bench.
“Look, you think of yourself as a moron, you can't feel that good about yourself, now, can you?”
Why it's great
It links self-image to self-worth, then corners the listener with a tag question.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You think of yourself as a failure, you can't aim high, can you?
“You should be in the third grade.”
Why it's great
Naming a grade measures their reading level and shames them in one breath.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
With that handwriting, you should be in the first grade.
“I want you to read the comic book I'm gonna give you and write a report on it.”
Why it's great
One sentence stacks two tasks and leaves no room to negotiate.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
I want you to read the brief and send me notes.
“Sir, I don't think Lofgren can handle this.”
Why it's great
The negative sits on think, but the doubt lands on Lofgren.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
I don't think the new guy can lead this yet.
“I'm not telling you again.”
Why it's great
A short ultimatum that shows patience has run out.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I'm not asking you again.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ the teacher's lecture
Hey, look, this is nothing to laugh at. Now, maybe if some of you could read, you wouldn't be in here. You ever think about that? Look, you think of yourself as a moron, you can't feel that good about yourself, now, can you? I just got back the results of that literacy test you took, that reading test. You should be in the third grade. All right. Yay. Well, I got my own reading test for you. I want you to read the comic book I'm gonna give you and write a report on it.
It moves from stopping the laughter to handing out work, cornering the boys.
Up next · 06screw upThe scene: Moreno Arrives in O'Brien's DormTakeaways
What you walk away with- Go ahead is a green light, not a command.
- The second conditional makes the insult sting.
- Keep it simple lowers the bar for someone struggling.
- A tag question corners the listener into agreeing.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does the teacher bring up the literacy test results?
He wants the boys to face their own reading level. The results are humiliating on purpose, but they also set up his comic-book assignment as a way to do better.
Why does the teacher say they should be in the third grade?
The test scores put most of them at a third-grade reading level despite their age. He uses it as a blunt fact to shock them into taking the class seriously.
Why does someone say Lofgren can't handle the assignment?
It is a taunt framed as concern. Lofgren is a target, and the remark is meant to humiliate him in front of the class rather than help him.
Is the comic-book report a punishment or a second chance?
Mostly a second chance. It lowers the barrier to reading while still requiring spelling and punctuation, so it asks for a small, achievable win.