Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a lot of things in life: Mr. Universe, a movie star, a Kennedy, and a governor — but the 60-year-old is showing on social media that his greatest pride comes from the role of being a dad.
On Sunday, the former Governor posted a picture of him and his son, Joseph, at Oktoberfest in Germany wearing lederhosen and drinking beer for his son’s 19th birthday.
Schwarzenegger said on Instagram, “Happy birthday, Joseph. Great student, great athlete. I’m proud of you and I love you!”
The post instantly went viral, receiving more than 340,000 likes on Instagram, and more than a million people shared and gushed about it on Facebook. Despite the feminist claim that manhood is a fragile entity worth destroying and that patriarchy is outdated, the overwhelming positive reaction to Schwarzenegger’s post shows the craving for active fathers.
Joseph has the privilege of being born into a wealthy and famous family, but his real advantage comes from having an active father.
Facts are inconvenient for feminists and their dream of a world where men are subservient and disposable. Yet, Schwarzenegger’s viral photo proves that men are not only beneficial as fathers, but also greatly desired by the public.
A study from Princeton University found that boys without active fathers are two to three times more likely to end up in jail before they turn 30. Also, young men are much more likely to succeed in school when a dad is present in their lives.
Girls also benefit from being close with their dads. The study found that girls whose fathers abandoned them before the age of 6 were five times more likely to become pregnant as teenagers.
Millennials are facing a fatherhood crisis going into the future. Many young people are being pushed away from pursuing parenthood after decades of family law that disadvantages fathers, years of third wave feminism decrying fatherhood as unnecessary, and a poor economy.
Schwarzenegger is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, has worldwide fame, a successful political career, and has slept with more women than he can remember, but his children and his pride in being a father, to him and many others, is worth sharing to the world.
