When a white Republican has an illegitimate son, we finally start to hear about the human costs of fatherlessness

A correspondent tells me that the media in covering the breakup of the Schwarzenegger marriage has been mentioning the difference between the privileged upbringing of Schwarzenegger’s legitimate children and the much less rosy environment of his illegitimate son. She says that this is the first time she has ever seen the liberal media talk about the effects of illegitimacy and fatherlessness on the child. Usually, the focus is on the mother, on how having a baby out of wedlock affects her.

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James P. writes:

You wrote,

A correspondent tells me that the media in covering the breakup of the Schwarzenegger marriage has been mentioning the difference between the privileged upbringing of Schwarzenegger’s legitimate children and the much less rosy environment of his illegitimate son.

The media and you have referred to the boy as “illegitimate.” He’s not. The mother was married when the boy was born, and for a long time, claimed that the boy was her husband’s, not Arnold’s. The boy may be the product of adultery but he was not illegitimate. I am pretty sure that legally he remains the son of Rogelio Baena.

“Sons of Hollywood movie stars are more fortunate than sons of mestizo domestic servants”—this is news?

N. writes:

James P. writes:

The media and you have referred to the boy as “illegitimate.” He’s not. The mother was married when the boy was born, and for a long time, claimed that the boy was her husband’s, not Arnold’s. The boy may be the product of adultery but he was not illegitimate. I am pretty sure that legally he remains the son of Rogelio Baena.

This is legally correct. There is a limited period of time after the birth of a child to contest the paternity, and while it no doubt varies among the several states, I’m sure that it’s no more than a year, likely only a few months. Therefore, in the eyes of the law, the boy is not illegitimate, he is the son of Rogelio Baena.

It is easy to understand why the law is the way it is; for the benefit of the child, paternity must not be something that is uncertain for years, it must be considered settled. However, there is the issue of cuckolding and its long term effects as well. It is unjust to require a man to raise some other man’s son by such a betrayal of trust.

I believe that Mrs. Baena is divorced. If that is true, perhaps one reason for the breakup of the marriage is the birth of the son who was fathered by Schwarzenegger rather than by her husband?

We surely won’t be hearing from the mainstream media about how Mr. Baena was affected by all this. He’s a nobody, just a father whose wife broke the most important of her wedding vows. No one of interest to the modern world …

Jane S. writes:

I was produced by two careless, randy teenagers, then (fortunately) placed for adoption.

As an adult, in order to discover my birthparents’ names, I spent years battling the adoption records bureaucrats, navigating the vast secret records underground, and arguing with people who thought I was being an impertinent snoop.

During this process, I learned several things I probably would not have learned any other way:

1. Women lie about who fathered their child—all the time. You know those families where one kid doesn’t look anything like anybody else? That’s them.

2. Women feel completely justified in lying about who fathered their child, even to the child. You have no business asking nosey questions about her old boyfriends, even if one of them happens to be your dad.

3. Many people also feel a person should feel justified in lying about their children, how many they have, and where they came from. In my experience, this applies more so to men. People are more willing to cover for a man who has sired an illegitimate child.

People who are sorta okay with you searching for your mom, suddenly go all cold and hostile when you’re looking for your dad. A father’s part in producing a child is fleeting and momentary, by the time you’re grown he’s probably forgotten all about it, so what’s the point of bothering him?

My aunt asked me what I wanted from my birthfather. I said, “How about a couple of minutes of his time?” To which she answered, “He didn’t spend that long making you.”

LA replies:

“Women lie about who fathered their child—all the time. You know those families where one kid doesn’t look anything like anybody else? That’s them.”

I’m thinking of a photograph I once saw of the young Kirk Douglas (Issur Danielovitch) with his parents and his many sisters. The whole family was heavy-set and swarthy, except for this fair-colored young man looking like a hero from Greek myth. Hmm …

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 19, 2011 12:29 PM | Send