Public radio’s longest-running daily global news program.
©2026 The World from PRX
PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402.

“Joe Six Pack” gets a lot of mention on the U.S. presidential campaign trail. The World’s Alex Gallafent tells us about similar characters that populate the discourse of other countries.
Amongst the voters for the presidential debate tonight will be �Joe sixpack.� The American political scene carves up the electorate into sectors of mythical power, something the British are good at too. During the 80s and 90s, talk was of a man named after a car similar to that of a Ford, so likely to be a voter in the late 20s with a mortgage and ready to settle down. But it’s hard to find similar voters elsewhere. Egyptians have a kind of John Doe, but quick calls to Denmark, Italy and Greece, amongst others, failed to come up with similar comparisons.