A new television series depicting a black man acting as an advisor to President Lincoln during the Civil War provides a gross distortion of both Lincoln's ideas and the actual situation of blacks at the time. This is done in the name of comedy, but in reality presents just another example of a generalized contempt for black life and history. PNS commentator Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Assassination of the Black Male Image" and "The Crisis in Black and Black."

"I think your race suffer greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. It affords a reason at least why we should be separated."

These were the words of President Abraham Lincoln, speaking to a group of black men at the White House as the Civil War raged in July of 1862.

This was not the first time that Lincoln publicly advocated racial separation. In countless speeches he made it clear that if he could save the Union "without freeing any slave" he would do it.

Ultimately he grudgingly freed some slaves, as a wartime measure -- and even then he was careful to remind whites that he did not believe in social equality for blacks, and that if he had his way he would ship the lot of them to Africa or the Caribbean.

Yet the new comedy, "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer" on the UPN Network, asks us to believe that a black man sits in the big chair at the White House as a principal advisor to Lincoln -- BEFORE the passage of the 13th Amendment which formally abolished slavery.

The UPN farce not only stands history on its head, it dismembers it. The producers justify this absurdity by claiming that it's only comedy, and that history is fair game for parody.

True, there is nothing wrong with satirizing historical events. But there is nothing right about falsifying them. There is not a fig of historic truth in the idea that Lincoln -- or for that matter, any 19th Century president -- socially fraternized with African-Americans, let alone sought their political advice.

UPN producers also defend their actions by comparing "Pfeiffer" to "Hogans Heroes." This won't fly either. The fact is that there were American POWs in Nazi prisoner of war camps during World War II. They were mistreated -- some were beaten and killed -- but when the war ended they were released, and returned to their former lives. Blacks had no such luxury. They were totally stripped of their language, culture and humanity, and bought and sold like cattle.

Then there is the producers' claim that blacks themselves approve of "Pfeiffer."

They may be right. The pathetic reality is that many black filmmakers and theatergoers have an obsessive love affair with presenting and seeing blacks as clowns, crooks and charity cases. They pack theaters to see films such as "Booty Call," "How to be a Player," "Jackie Brown," and "Dead Presidents" while virtually ignoring films that present positive images of black life and struggles such as "Rosewood," and "Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored."

The 1990's black exploitation films that pump out these negative images are cheaply made and gross from $15 to $60 million.

TV has been much worse. In 1997, with little fanfare, the major networks dumped the handful of black-themed comedies for more "family-oriented" fare. UPN quickly took up the slack, churning out a parade of brain dead sit-coms that demean the black image.

Many are produced, directed, and written by African-Americans who claim that blacks like to see black images on the screen, and that the shows employ black actors and actresses and put dollars in black pockets.

These are self-serving distortions. Blacks have appeared in droves of films and TV sit-coms playing everything from clowns to heroes. While some black film stars have prospered, the box office dollars have enriched corporate investors, producers, distributors, theater owners.

At the same time far too many black leaders and organizations have been mostly silent about the on-screen assaults on the black image. The few who have dared to protest have found out that trying to wean blacks off the stereotypes about themselves is a long uphill battle.

If blacks want more films and TV shows that present an accurate and honest picture of black life they must be willing to challenge those blacks who ignore or defend demeaning racial portrayals in films and sit-coms -- and support productions that portray blacks with more dignity.

If not UPN and Hollywood will be more than happy to continue to march out an endless line of Desmond Pfeiffers.