All episodes Season 16 S16E40 1981-11-12 120 min 1960s Syndicated/PBS

Firing Line

The Economic Lot of Minorities

TV Flash files “The Economic Lot of Minorities” as hour 234 of 326 in the TV Flash guide — Firing Line (1966–1999) on Syndicated/PBS, season 16, episode 40, aired 1981-11-12, 120 min.

From the desk

How this hour is filed

This leaf is S16E40: listed hour 234 of 326 in the Firing Line guide, hour 15 of 18 in season 16. It aired 1981-11-12 (120 min). The listed hour before it is “Is There an Answer to Malthus?” (S16E39). Next is “William F. Buckley Jr. on the Firing Line” (S16E41).

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No original recap on file. TV Flash does not invent plots for missing hours. Title, airdate, and the hour filing above are the magazine record for this leaf.

Viewer FAQ

Where does The Economic Lot of Minorities sit in the Firing Line guide?

S16E40 is listed hour 234 of 326 — hour 15 of 18 in season 16, season 16 episode 40.

When did Firing Line S16E40 air?

The Economic Lot of Minorities aired 1981-11-12 and is listed at 120 minutes.

Where should I start?

A Buckley hour with a guest from across the aisle and room for full sentences is the contract. Clipboard, drawl, no countdown clock. Sample debates, not a serialized doctrine.

In the series

Why this series still plays

Firing Line is William F. Buckley Jr. turning argument into spectator sport: clipboard, drawl, and guests from across the aisle in conversations that refused the sound bite. Syndicated, then PBS, it ran for decades on polysyllables. Political talk before the countdown clock — intellectual blood sport with manners, and sentences allowed to finish on national television.

Clipboard, drawl, and a guest from across the aisle — argument as spectator sport before the countdown clock. Firing Line is William F. Buckley Jr. turning political talk into ballet and blood sport at once. Premiered 1966, then ran through syndication and PBS into 1999. Sesquipedalian flair, pointed civility, ideas as combat. Public-affairs TV with a maestro's ego. Sentences allowed to finish on national television. **It set a gold standard for intellectual TV debate across ideological lines.**

Open the Firing Line package · Season 16 hub

Filed against

Also in season 16

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