The Dial File -- Steve Bornfield: Humor could color the race question

Steve Bornfeld is the Sun features editor. His television column appears Fridays. Reach himat 259-4081 or [email protected]

Somewhere over the Rainbow Coalition, diversity flies.

But guess what, Toto? We're still in Kansas.

Sure, television is far from the integrated land of Oz, as declared by the NAACP, which slammed the upcoming network season as a programming "whitewash," triggering a summer of racial rhetoric and network defensiveness.

And while the NAACP has set the acrimonious soundtrack for this season it could help its cause immensely by singing a simple song: "If I Only Had a Sense of Humor."

Let's be clear: More racial diversity on television is a no-brainer, as has been repeatedly expressed in TV columns nationwide -- including this one -- long before the NAACP finally piled on.

The message is sound. It's the methods -- indignant protests and boycotts born of ultra-sensitivity toward recent shows that attempted black themes and characters -- that may be suspect.

It's really tough to sing sweet harmony on "The Political Correctness March."

Drama is not the problem. "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue," "Chicago Hope," "Ally McBeal," "Touched By an Angel," "Martial Law" and "ER," among others, prominently feature black characters, with black-oriented hospital drama "City of Angels" still to come.

Comedy -- in which exaggerated reality in the service of laughter is crucial -- is the conundrum. Last season saw two silly protests. Black organizations were apoplectic over "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer," which focused on a black manservant to President Lincoln and was vehemently vilified before it ever aired for lampooning slavery, which it barely mentioned. The claymation series "The PJs" -- produced and co-voiced by Eddie Murphy -- was roasted for daring to coax chuckles out of life in the projects.

Rewind a couple of decades. If debuting today would "Sanford and Son" be crucified for depicting a black junk man? Or "The Jeffersons" for a boastful big mouth? Or "Good Times" for a minstrel-style, "Dy-No-Mite!"-spouting clown? Or "All in the Family" for uttering "jungle bunny" -- even if it did confirm that Archie was an ass? And while some of today's "black shows" are blasted as too hip-hoppy, the classy "Cosby Show" was lacerated by some for being too "upscale."

It's almost understandable for beleaguered network programmers to wave the White flag of surrender.

Of course, the NAACP hardly invented program protests. Stand in line behind: the Jewish groups that caused tsoris (look it up) for Fran Drescher's nasal noodge, "The Nanny"; Christians desperate to ex-communicate the liberal priest of "Nothing Sacred"; Italian-American groups getting aggravante (take a guess) over "Johnny Bago" -- an early '90s series about an Italian guy ducking the mob while driving a Winnebago -- because "Bago" somehow implied "dago"; and a Canadian woman who declared that Bugs Bunny is a misogynistic little stinka. ( A wascally anti-women wabbit?)

Can we relax, people? Friends poke gentle fun at each other. Simplistic as it seems, let's start with this: Ho-ho-ho, ha-ha-ha and a couple of tra-la-las; that's how we laugh the day away in the merry ol' land of Oz.

And guess what, Toto? We might find we're not in Kansas anymore.

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