Gene Basset's Controversy

During the 1990s, Gene Basset drew an untitled editorial cartoon to stress the importance of the controversy about economic development and preservation of the natural environment. Basset’s editorial cartoon depicts a man representing the Billboard Lobby holding a chainsaw and shouting “obstructionist” at a tree, Although Basset’s cartoon seems straightforward, it can be inferred that he was trying to stress the importance of the battle to limit or to expand billboards up and down highways. This can be inferred because of the time Basset published this editorial cartoon, 1991, and the way Basset constructed the cartoon. He also drew his untitled editorial cartoon to provide the United States some humor to help the citizens through tough times of the 1990s. The …show more content…
During the time period of the 1990s, the idea of environmental politics began to arise. At the beginning of the decade, sustainable development and environmental protection became a serious issue for governments and international community. Many people believed that billboards were very important and needed to be put up; however, this caused a controversy between economic development and preservation of the natural environment. This caused the United Nations to pave a way to establish an environmental governance by publishing the Brundtland report which various countries signed. By signing this document, the country was committed to establish a protection over the environmental governance which advocates sustainability as the supreme attention for managing human activities – political, social, and economic. This ultimately created a huge controversy because it not only effected environmental issues, but also numerous issues such as the economy. Furthermore, according to the Billboards and the Legal and Regulatory Environment article, Dwain Stoops and Marvin Wolverton said, “The outdoor advertising industry