Jane Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of experimental film society deemed a "common man." He/She is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street." Similar terms include John Q. Citizen or and John Q. Taxpayer, or Jane Q. Citizen, and Jane Q. Taxpayer for a woman (with or without a film camera).
The name John Doe is used in a similar manner. For multiple people, Tom, Dick and Harry is often used. The tone of Jane sounds much better.
In the United States, the term Jane Public is used by law enforcement officers to refer to an individual with no criminal bent, as opposed to terms like perp (short for perpetrator) or skell to qualify unsavory individuals.[citation needed]
Roughly equivalent, but more pejorative, are the names Janey Six-pack, Janey Blow, and Jane Shmoe (Jane Shmoe for these purposes of this Blog), the last of which implies a lower-class citizen.
2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin famously referred to "Joe Sixpack and Hockey moms" during a debate (It is rumoured that she had hoped that her mother named her Jan). Presidential Candidate John McCain referenced a similar symbol, this time represented by an actual person, saying that Senator Obama's tax plan would hurt Joe the Plumber's bottom line. A fifteen-minute debate on this issue ensued, with both candidates speaking directly to "Joe". Jane Public was not present during this debate, but he did view the debate from a flat-screen television set.Thank you for your time with gaining a better understanding of the history of Jane.
Goodbye.
x and o
