Review: IQ or EQ?
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2012
Sometimes the most educated of people can be completely obtuse.I had to do a double-take when I saw the title of Sandra Ross's interactive book, "The Retard Test." I honestly wasn't sure if I had brushed my laptop touchpad inadvertently and had been directed to another website, or if Ross was using some odd form of humor to convey a message to her readers who may have been expecting her usual exquisite stories of erotica and seduction.Either way, I was dumbfounded by the title's utter political incorrectness. In the year 2012, is it still really possible to use a term such as "retard" in casual company and not be completely oblivious to the sheer awkwardness that such a title screams?Let's be very clear here. I have used the term "retard" before. I have uttered it to myself in moments of sheer frustration when dealing with people who simply aren't too bright, or don't care to learn from their experiences. My brother and sister-in-law have a nephew with severe learning disabilites, and they are quick to immediately chastise family, friends, and even strangers who thoughtlessly or maliciously use the "R" word in their presence. As well they should.Good for them.It's not a nice word, no matter how much sugar I throw upon all six of its letters. And it's the primary reason why "Test" is one of Ross's lowest-rated books from this reviewer.I try very hard to see the goodness in all people, and maybe that's why I made the conscious choice to believe that Ross was in no way malicious in her selection of words for her book cover. I choose to accept that she truly meant no real harm or prejudice against those who are differently-abled through no fault of their own. I choose to overlook this egregious literary error and instead focus upon all the wonderful writings the author has contributed in the field of sex, erotica, fantasy, and intimate relations, and thus conclude that the title is an aberration and amounts to nothing more than an error in good taste.Moving on, "Test" presents to the reader an assortment of various questions designed to test your memory and logic. I have an affinity for these types of games, and was intrigued as to what sort of challenges Ross would provide. By and large the questions were interesting, although some of them could be viewed as almost surreal in style: "Why did the road cross the chicken?" (Of course, such a view is entirely subjective and can be interpreted in countless ways by different people, which in and of itself makes for a more interesting and eclectic subject of discussion, in this reviewer's opinion.)Ross does make a valiant attempt to encourage her readers to make parlor games out of such questions, although "Test" seems rather similar to just so many "Scattergories" questions repeated ad nauseum. Nevertheless, the questions are interesting enough that, given the right mixture of people (and maybe the right mixture of drinks), "Test" can serve as an impetus for encouraging some interesting responses to the queries that the author provides.We are a society of educated people---maybe even over-educated at times. Most of us enjoy a good academic and/or logical discussion. It doesn't matter if the subject is framed as rhetoric, debate, question-and-answer, or even casual banter. What's really key is the underlying sense of decorum and civility that comprises the framework of the entire experience. It's no real surprise that most societies view education as the linchpin for how we have collectively been able to rise above crudity, boorishness, ignorance, and apathy that is so prevalent in our world.Cultivating intelligence and its many different styles is paramount for any civilization to thrive. I would suggest that emotional intelligence---EQ---is just as valuable for today, if not more so. To use an admittedly extreme example, noted serial killer Ted Bundy was a self-taught lawyer with a genius-level IQ. He was erudite and college-educated. He spoke in measured, even tones and was raised in a relatively stable, middle-class household.Up until his execution in Florida in 1989, Bundy also killed as many as forty-plus women, utilizing numerous methods of doing so: strangulation, stabbing, mutilating, beating, hanging---you name it, he probably did it.For all his Phi Beta Kappa persona, it's a safe bet to say that his EQ was truly at a level that could fairly be called retarded. (In this case, the "R" word is used strictly to convey a point.)All gruesomeness aside, "Test" is by no means a poor or boring book. However, the target reading niche might be significantly smaller and narrower for the author and her fans. It's still worth a read.