Onlooker sparks debate after sharing video of obnoxious sighting on local street: 'That's just despicable'

Vermont takes the beauty of its scenery seriously. The Green Mountain state is one of only four American states prohibiting billboards, as Scenic America reported. So, a fierce backlash is inevitable when a company tries to bypass that law with a mobile billboard.

A Reddit user on r/Burlington shared an image of a mobile billboard seen in the state's largest city, with the (probably hyperbolic) caption, "This ruined my day and made me violent. These should not exist."

"If we don't sound the alarm quickly they will be everywhere around town." — Photo Credit: Reddit

The comments did not disappoint. One user got right to the point, saying, "That's just despicable."

Another added an expletive-filled comment that ended with support for the ban: "No billboards means no … billboards. It's one of the best things Vermont has going for it."

Aside from being an eyesore that violates the spirit of the law, if not the letter, such intrusive advertising is symptomatic of a wider problem. In addition to being deeply unpopular, ubiquitous advertising drives overconsumption. That not only harms budgets, but it also has significant consequences for the planet.

First, manufacturing consumer goods involves extracting and transporting resources. Our consumption of natural resources more than tripled from 1970 to 2010, per EcoWatch. To put it another way, Earth Overshoot Day ran the numbers, and if every country consumed like the United States, we'd need five Earths to handle the demand.

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The issues don't end there. Once that new, shiny trinket is a little less shiny, it will typically end up clogging up space in a landfill. From habitat destruction to the release of harmful pollution, landfills are seriously bad news for the environment and a growing headache for states.

Still, the annoying intrusion may have had a galvanizing effect if the comments are anything to go by.

One commenter said, "Finally, something for all of Vermont to unite against."

Another called for action: "These are everywhere in cities outside of Vermont. If we don't sound the alarm quickly they will be everywhere around town."