Rodriguez: We're smarter than we think

I was watching the TV game show “Family Feud” with my daughter, Laura, and son-in-law Nino recently.

It featured an Asian family, The Oh-Hos, verses an African-American family. I asked, “How come there are never Hispanic families on there?”

link Helena Rodriguez

Over the past two decades, I’ve only seen one or two Hispanic families on “Family Feud.”

I posted the question on Facebook. My friend, Sal Salcido of Carlsbad, responded, “Because they would argue over what answer to give.”

I laughed out loud because I had been thinking the exact same thing. I jokingly responded, “And then Hispanics at home would see them arguing and think it was a telenovela.”

This then got me thinking about old episodes of Carol Burnett’s variety show. My mom and dad would always come home from playing at Saturday night Mass and we’d all watch Carol Burnett together in the 1970s.

We only had one TV set and not many other channels. On Carol Burnett, who could forget the terrible and yet hilarious family fights that would erupt each time Eunice, Mama and Ed played “parlor games” like Sorry? Those were classic TV moments.

I remember arguing as a child when we’d play Monopoly.

Back to “Family Feud” now. I am guilty of perpetuating a stereotype toward my own race. One of my other Facebook friends, Albesa Gardea of Muleshoe, responded that she had, in fact, seen many Hispanic families on Family Feud.

I stand corrected. They just never seem to have any Hispanic families on when I watch. On this given night, that was a good thing, though, because as I was watching it, the show seems to have sunk to a lower standard.

They were asking stupid questions that night, like, “Describe Kim Kardashian in one word.” Responses included “Big,” “booty” and so on.

Another question that night was, “Name an object in your house that would be in danger if someone took an overdose of Viagra?” Get real now. This is insulting to anyone with half a brain.

And then this made me flash back to 1999, recalling when I heard Edward James Olmos speak at the Lea County Events Center in Hobbs.

Olmos showed a projected photograph of Hispanic children playing a game of chess. That was something you didn’t see often back then — Latinos engaging in an intelligent game of chess.

Not to say we are not intelligent. We just were not used to being portrayed that way. We could use some more of that, even today.

Instead of wanting to see more Hispanics on “Family Feud,” I think I’ll opt for “Wheel of Fortune” or “Jeopardy!”

Helena Rodriguez is a Portales native. Contact her at:

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