Hoaxer Alan Abel pulled a scam during the economic downturn of the early 1990s in which he pretended to be a financially desperate man willing to sell his kidneys and lungs. The ruse was eagerly devoured by news media because it toyed furiously with the fear of falling being experienced by a shrinking American middle class, which was under extreme pressure from a dwindling manufacturing base, neocon anti-unionists and technology-driven downsizing. All you have to do is glance cursorily at Craigslist today to see many forlorn people earnestly considering pawning their organs. If someone wanted to do this story now, it would be true, a trend piece and unsurprising.

See also:

• Abel fools “reality TV” by pretending (???) to have a micro-penis.

• Abel promotes faux charity Females for Felons.

• Abel operates the Bureau of Sexological Investigation.

• Abel is a tennis-playing, oil-millionaire sheik.

• Abel pretends to be Howard Hughes at a press conference.