Nissan Pulls Ad Featuring Vengeful Arab Stereotype

Here's an ad that Nissan aired in Israel for its new fuel-efficient Tiida. It shows a wealthy Arab sheikh coming out of a fancy hotel, playing with his worry beads, then seeing the little Tiida parked behind a limo and going nuts. Jumping all over it, smashing the windshield, with an associate cursing the thing. The ad was reportedly developed in Israel, and sparked rage when it aired on Arab networks in the Middle East. Now Nissan has pulled the ad. Good for them; the worst stereotype here is the Arabs' infantile behavior. Nabil Al-Khowaiter, a Saudi, writes, "Imagine
the world wide reaction if, for example, a Turkish or Egyptian bank ran
an ad showing a Jewish businessman wearing a yarmulke smashing the
glass on their bank windows because they were offering their
customers very low interest rates." Or if a Spanish Olympic basketball team mocked the Chinese by posing for the team photo and all used their fingers to make their eyes slanted. A little more cultural sensitivity please; it's a global village.