Silly over revolutionary
One tweet erects Robocop: Statue craze shows Americans don't exactly tweet likeEgyptians
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Egyptians utilize Twitter to organize political revolutions. Americans turn to the social media site to ... promote fictional robotic police officers.
Oh, the land of the free!
On Feb. 7 a Massachusetts resident tweeted the following message to Detroit Mayor David Bing:
@mayordavebing Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky’s butt. He’s a GREAT ambassador for Detroit.
The mayor then responded:
@MT There are not any plans to erect a statue of Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion.
The idea quickly went viral. Detroit native John Leonard created Facebook group called “Build a statue of RoboCop in Detroit” and hatched a plan to raise a rendition of the cyborg hero from the 1987 movie. Now, with the help of random supporters from around the world, this absurd proposal is well on its way to reality with over $50,000 raised in support.
Has this outlandish suggestion gone too far? Or could it actually benefit the poverty-stricken, crime-plagued city of Detroit?
The whole story brings to mind ridiculous Facebook groups popularized three years ago like “Physics Doesn’t Exist; It’s All Gnomes” and the never-ending barrage of Chuck Norris jokes.
Robots themselves received a fair share of fame with hipsters embracing them in the mid two-thousands (did you miss that trend?). This eventually trickled down to the printed hoodies of Urban Outfitters and, ultimately, Target graphic tees.
Still, it’s not all silliness. RoboCop represented morals any battered city would embrace.
RoboCop Statue pros and cons:
Pro: Completely privately funded and does not cost tax dollars
Con: Is a waste of resources when compared to Detroit’s more pressing problems
Pro: Deters space Transformers from attacking Detroit
Con: Attracts robot nerds to Detroit.
Pro: Fierce, aggressive and totally in charge
Con: Might try to pick fights with lesser public statues he deems “wusses,” like fountains and granite busts of historical figures.
