Stereotypes in advertising are good – in that within the time and space constraints of an ad poster, skilful use of stereotypes can be the most effective way of making a point.

The recent ‘don’t eat smelly food on the Tube’ advert, which featured a sweaty Mediterranean butcher setting out his stall of meats on a London Underground train, is a good example.

The advert was funny and memorable; and given the fact that Mediterranean butchers’ shops *actually do* feature large quantities of highly tasty but highly malodorous meats, it’s also entirely inoffensive.

Italian Embassy official Guido Cerboni unfortunately disagrees, making an official complaint to London Underground that the advert impugns Italians (quite why Italians rather than the Greeks, Turks or French, I don’t know). Sadly, rather than telling Mr Cerboni and his whining countrymen to go and fuck themselves, London Underground has agreed to withdraw the poster.

My views on the permissibility of complaining about advertising (or indeed, ‘taste and decency’ issues in general) are simple: all complaints made to the relevant authorities should be taken extremely seriously. However, anyone who makes such a complaint should be instantly committed to a lunatic asylum and not released for at least 12 months. If people are not sufficiently offended to accept this bargain, then there is no reason to pay any attention to their complaints.