Noticed the "creative" writing?

Yesterday, as I was sorting out our Park City to Washington road trip photos and videos, I fell on that one of a Southwestern Motor Transport Line semi truck taken between Little Rock and Memphis. Proudly displayed behind and on the sides of the trailer and truck was that motto: “Service Unexcelled”.

When I first noticed it, as we were driving just behind the trailer, I told my spouse: “Something's weird with that word,” before beginning to even question its legitimacy within the context of the English language. My doubt prompted me to take the photograph. If you take a few seconds to reflect upon the word “unexcelled”, you'll come to the inevitable conclusion that this company DOES NOT excel at providing a good service.

In other words, and according to its slogan, Southwestern Motor Transport Line is a lousy proposition, something mediocre or worse. You might object that the owners are trying in fact to be honest in stating loud and clear that they really have some serious limitations in terms of quality, but again, we are so programmed to see advertising that boasts, that it would be hard to believe, which would defeat the purpose of advertising their mediocrity.

Interestingly enough, I'm not the only blogger to have written about that trucking company motto and one has even discovered that the creative slogan was also used by the Unemployment Compensation Cost Control website, another fine organization claiming that its service is also “unexcelled in the nation.” It must be true that misery loves company!