Robocop Demands Statue of Himself in Detroit

For some time, the citizens of Detroit wanted to erect a statue of 80s action sci-fi icon Robocop in their city. Robocop was a symbol of civic duty and law amid criminal activity and big corporations. Heck, Rocky Balboa has a statue of himself in Philadelphia. Sadly, Detroit mayor David Bing refused such a motion. Nevertheless, the citizens began a Facebook campaign and began raising funds. And now people supporting the Robocop statue have yet another supporter: Robocop himself.

Actor Peter Weller, who played Officer Alex Murphy and later Robocop-spoiler warning-released a video for Funny or Die voicing his support of the statue. His goofy monologue talking about the virtues of Robocop asking if it was "silly when Murphy sacrificed his very identity to fight crime?" Or if it was "silly when Murphy cleaned up drugs in Detroit and saved the city from being demolished?" And if it was "silly when Murphy battled the super robot Kane, tore out his brain with his bare hands?" All in all, this video shows how silly the whole campaign of erecting a Robocop statue is while simultaneously throwing support for it.

The singing along to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" was admittedly silly.

As Detroit strives to raise itself from its current economic blight, a morale boost like a Robocop statue can boost some pride in the city. The city already has to deal with attempts to recover the automotive industry, undoing its reputation as a hell in the US, and the Eminem menace. And if the actor who plays Robocop is supporting the notion, all the more power to the proposal. Maybe Peter Weller is hoping to chisel some money for using his likeness as they chisel the statue, but that really does not undermine the appeal of Robocop. Who knows? Maybe if they build it, the tourists will come and boost the city's economy. I wonder who the Rocky Steps are doing today.

Mayor David Bing may still find the whole Robocop statue idea silly, but if the citizens of Detroit are willing to pony up cash and support for a statue of a classic 80s film icon who can act less robotic than anything Sylvester Stallone has appeared in, it may be time to consider if this silly idea may have something to it. At least it would be better than an Eminem statue. I don't even like those candies anyway.