By Joshua Bardwell, originally posted in September 2010 at Jack-Booted Liberal.

The myth of progress expresses itself in our culture in numerous ways, some more subtle than others. One of these is a hyperbolic focus on exceptionalism. I thought of this when I saw a sign in a grocery store:

Now, some may see this simply as an example of hyperbole in marketing, but I was bowled over by the degree to which the sign took that premise. “Uncompromised” quality? Really? Because I’m willing to bet you compromised quality at least a little bit in the name of, for example, price. Realistically, you contracted with Boar’s Head, and whatever they deliver, you sell. “Uncompromised quality,” by itself, might be chalked up to everyday advertising hyperbole, but the sign-maker took it one step further. Not only is the store’s quality uncompromised, it is uncompromised Every Single Day. This is, of course, redundant. Quality that’s uncompromised, except on Tuesdays, is compromised, isn’t it?

Why doesn’t the idea of “uncompromised quality” invoke the same reaction in the reader as the idea of an “airborne submarine”? The reason, I think, is that neither the sign-maker nor the reader are taking the sign literally. The expansionist myth tells us that growth and expansion are good and stasis or contraction is death. From there, we extrapolate that everything in the world must constantly get “better.” Ultimately, this touches off an arms race of exaggeration in marketing, which leads to “the best” being the only thing that is even “good enough,” and something as mediocre as a grocery store deli counter needs to offer “Quality Uncompromised Every Single Day” just to move lunch meat. This sign is the marketing equivalent of the male peacock’s feathers: evolved to a preposterously impractical extreme, but expected by its intended audience, and so required.

Here’s a slightly less extreme example of the same idea. Coffee cups made “without compromise.”

These goldfish crackers invite you to “Never Have An Ordinary Day.” Setting aside for a minute the preposterous notion that goldfish crackers are what separates an ordinary day from an extraordinary one, the fact is that most days are ordinary, that’s what makes them ordinary. Again, this is not intended to be taken literally, but isn’t it interesting what direction the symbolism has gone?

Issa’s note: Here’s the comment I left on the original post: “To some extent, I think the “uncompromising quality” IS supposed to be taken literally, and points to the difference between commodified experiences and personal experiences. At the Kroger meat counter, you are supposed to never see bad meat or moldy bread or cheese. The meat is cut on a slicer to guarantee that each slice is exact to your specifications. The sandwiches are made exactly the same every time. The workers are wrapped in plastic to prevent contaminating your food. Etc. All of this is the exact opposite from a food experience you’re intimately involved in. I think they mean it when they say “uncompromising quality”. I just think the definition of the word quality deserves some pondering.”