From: Robocop
Genre: Movies
Who said it?: The Old Man/The OCP Chairman
The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1987 sci-fi/cyberpunk movie, Robocop. The film is about Officer Alex Murphy (played by Peter Weller) who is gunned down on duty. But, thanks to Omni Consumer Products, also known as OCP, Murphy is resurrected as Robocop to be the future of law enforcement.
The quote comes early in the film, before Murphy becomes Robocop. OCP senior VP, Dick Jones (played by Ronnie Cox), demonstrates his newest creation, the ED-209. It’s a machine that’s supposed to take over the police force. Unfortunately, the demonstration takes a turn for the worse. As the OCP Chairman, AKA The Old Man (played by Dan O’Herlihy) laments the fiasco, Dick Jones tries to save face by saying this was just a glitch. This is when The Old Man yells out the quote.
Geek wisdom: People will try to downplay the negatives when it’s so painfully obvious that they’re trying to save face. It’s does seem insulting to the people who are actually involved by the problem as it makes it seem as if nothing’s happened. Sometimes it’s best to admit the gravity of the situation.