NotNormativelyHuman 313
and the Pauper(1881),^143 and today the fake disabled veteran are
emblematic figures of a "historically persistent character" (E. Samuels,
"From Melville to Eddie Murphy" 62); the person who cons his or her
disability is evidence of disability's insertion into narratives of
appearanceanddisappearance,inHegelianterms,truthandsemblance.
Given the long-standing fascination in U.S.-American culture with
con men and con games, it is no surprise that disabled con men (less
often women) are crowding the pages and images of popular culture as
central characters in narratives where disability both appears and
disappears and one cannot be sure whether it actually exists or is fake.
Very early silent movies feature them, as inThe Blind Man's Bluff
(1903) where a presumably blind beggarsees that the coin given him is
counterfeit and, as revenge, kicks the donor with his crutches, orThe
Fake Blind Man(1905) where, again, a seemingly blind beggar runs
awaywhenspottingapoliceman.Thepotentialforsurpriseandcomedy
derivingfromtheclevernessexhibitedbytheseChaplinesqueunderdogs
has not been lost on Hollywood.Trading Places(1983; John Landis,
dir.) tells the story of switched identities as a broker and a homeless
hustler exchange places and related embodiments, the latter simulated,
of course. The hustler, played by Eddie Murphy, works the streets as a
fake Vietnam veteran, apparently blind and without legs, soliciting
charity.Asinthesilentmoviesmentionedabove,hisfakeisexposedby
suspiciouspoliceofficers,butasthefilmicplotunfolds,thehustlerturns
outnotonlytobestreet-smartbutalsoadaptabletothesecretsoftrading
in market futures. Billy Ray Valentine/Eddie Murphy leaves his
disabilitybehindinmuchthesamewayasheshedsdisadvantagesbased
onhis"race."Thefilm,withitsobviousparallelstoTwain'sThePrince
and the Pauper, has drawn criticism for its making light of
marginalizing identity scripts but has also been applauded for engaging
the social and cultural systems which determine what is considered
abled or disabled (Ellis 94-95). This cannot really be said ofThere's
Something About Mary(1998; Peter and Robert Farelly, dir.), a story
(^143) David Thomas offers a cultural history of such figures(Beggars,Cheatsand
Forgers:AHistoryofFraudsthroughouttheages. Wharncliffe: Pen and Sword
Books,2014.Print).–There is also an entry on"disabilityfraud"onWikipedia
("DisabilityFraud."Wikipedia.Wikipedia,17Apr.2017.Web.28May2017.).