Osler's Razor

Good idea!
 

I realized that maybe I should articulate WHY I think building a statue of Robocop in front of that majestic old structure is a good idea. In my opinion juxtaposing minimal with elaborate is visually harmonious and while that combination may offend some esthetic sensibilities (think of I.M. Pei pyramid at the Louvre...I for one, was initially appalled but by now have come to see it as genius), a statue of Robocop in front of Detroit's old train station is in it of itself a symbol. A symbol of recognition, respect and reverence for the past and a place and promise for it in the future.
 

Bad idea - it does not evoke any type of hope for the future to me. It screams to me - "stay away / danger". Train stations are busy places, full of hope, reunion, homecoming, lost love, sadness, leaving. They have a life.

Would you want to see a Robocop statue placed in front of Grand Central Station?

@Marta - I get the Louvre / I.M. Pei and the visual harmony, the old and new, etc.... Even the fact that Paris is full of dark, underground spaces. The pyramid allows the light to shine below.
 

Would people come to Detroit to see it? If yes, then build it! It would be a tourist draw and money maker for the city and its businesses.
 

Also, the juxtaposition of the statue and the train station would speak to our utter folly in predicating our hope upon human technological advancement. Human knowledge is wonderful, but the hubris which often proceeds from solely relying upon it leads to the situation in which Detroit has found itself over the last four decades.

Ingenuity and hard work from Detroit revolutionized the world a century ago. Resting upon our laurels led to, well, what we have today.

Knowledge, technological or otherwise, is never a substitute for wisdom and wisdom is nothing without humility.
 

And maybe they could do a J-Lo statue in the S. Bronx; to follow up upon Dr. Osler's earlier posting. SW-1.
 

A statue would mock Detroit. The Joe Louis fist is something real. This statue would have nothing to do with Detroit other than a movie. I know Louis left Detroit and became buddies with Sugar Ray and found a better life elsewhere and he isn't from Detroit but it still means a lot to the city. This is a horrible idea because it shows even a movie with a f-ed up city is tolerable.
This is like putting up the Rocky statue in Philly.
It is a horrible reminder that nothing good has come out of Detroit since Louis even though he isn't from here.
What next? Should there be a monument to the Purple Gang? Hell, at least they were real.

Rather than glorifying a movie icon, there should be something good to come from Detroit to glorify. Sadly, there is nothing good from Detroit. I love Detroit and still consider it home but it has been a long time since anything of value has come from the city or even the suburbs.

Eminem would be a more fitting statue. Despite what people think of him, at least he is real.
 

I have to admit that my initial response was strictly based on a visual cue...I simply liked the futuristic minimal look of Robocop having an elaborate, monumental structure from the past as a backdrop. So I went to check and this is what wikipedia gave me:
“In 1987 RoboCop was created as a science fiction film about a crumbling Detroit on the verge of collapse due to financial ruin and unchecked crime.
RoboCop the character was created with three prime directives written into his programming: serve the public trust, protect the innocent and uphold the law.”
Maybe I should see the movie and think a little more, but for now it looks to me like the movie is more than just another stupid, fake three dimensional, mind numbing techno-cartoon. It seems to have a message and projects a positive outcome to a seemingly desperate, irreparable situation. Unfortunately, two decades later, there's nothing science fiction about today Detroit's reality, crumbling under corruption and neglect and the crime that closely follows those two. I certainly don't think Robocop can be compared with the Joe Louis Fist, not because its cheap plastic Hollywood origins, but because it seemed to embody an idea, an idea for a solution. A solution to correct the wrong done to a place like Detroit and Detroit alone...and for that Robocop would be completely amiss in front of Grand Central. A place that was resurrected from near destruction and is now a source of pride, not just for New Yorkers but all Americans that come to visit...perhaps a good lesson to inspire Detroit to take pride and restore its historical monuments. Even by evoking a popular culture icon in the form of a statue made out of steel and stone , this time around.
 

Robots and robotic responses to problems make a statement about Detroit and our approach to art. Detroit's public art, like our plans for land and resource use, usually command and deserve about 3-4 days of interest and then sit and rust. We have great music that lives, is replayed and rediscovered. Not so our recent visual arts.There is a need for public art in Detroit that has some staying power and can inspire future generation. We live among the carcasses of bad ideas.
I guess this monument to a violent creation from an old movie could be added. Or, we could build Detroit around beauty and design that is both fresh and lasting.
 

Since I'm late to the discussion, I'll point out that the Robocop statue you would be a better fit in Dallas, Texas. Since the movie was mostly filmed here, the statue would be perfect outside of our "worst-IM Pei-Design" city hall, which served as a backdrop for many scenes in Robocop.

Besides, Robocop is loved here, would probably spur tourism, and would hopefully make people forget about the recent attempt at hosting a Superbowl.

All in all, if Detroit builds it, and decides they don't want it, we'll take it!