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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 4, 2026

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As far as I know, the law in US federal states and Western European countries is usually that a husband may not have a paternity test done on the child or children unless the wife agrees to it in writing and the family court permits it (in case of a divorce).

In the US laws vary a lot by state. Generally they are more along the lines of a man may contest paternity for a limited period. If he discovers false paternity years later he's SOL.

I'd say it's extremely unfair, but it's also not likely to get fixed.

There's a saying along the lines of "the problem with civil rights cases is the plaintiff." The Men's Rights movement suffers from that greatly. The men who really get screwed by family courts are typically low status who married very poorly.

People don't live atomic lives, and higher class women will have their behaviour policed by friends and family.

I'm sure you've heard "don't stick your dick in crazy". These men proposed to crazy and went through with the wedding.

Courts and lawmakers look at them and aren't that eager to put a major effort into helping them clear up that mess.

Generally they are more along the lines of a man may contest paternity for a limited period. If he discovers false paternity years later he's SOL.

I kind of wonder what contesting paternity means in a practical sense in this context. Let’s suppose the wife does not agree to a test. Then what?

The men who really get screwed by family courts are typically low status who married very poorly.

I’d argue that the causality is reversed, in a sociological sense. When a divorce is initiated, which is done by the wife in most cases, society will assume that the husband is low-status because he was divorced. People will generally assume that it was his fault, because reasons.

People don't live atomic lives, and higher class women will have their behaviour policed by friends and family.

First I'd suggest that you may be underestimating the overall level of social atomization. Otherwise I'd inquire what policing actually entails here. Is it that her behavior is policed during the marriage so that she is discouraged from filing for divorce? Or is it that she gets policed after the filing of divorce so that she doesn't overdo her vengeance?

I'm sure you've heard "don't stick your dick in crazy". These men proposed to crazy and went through with the wedding.

Courts and lawmakers look at them and aren't that eager to put a major effort into helping them clear up that mess.

Yet when said crazies divorce them and the men don't pay up, the courts are all over themselves clearing up that mess. You can't sanewash this by saying only bad people are affected; the who/whom cuts along sex lines.

Yet when said crazies divorce them and the men don't pay up, the courts are all over themselves clearing up that mess. You can't sanewash this by saying only bad people are affected; the who/whom cuts along sex lines.

Agreed. Also, this is interesting:

There's a saying along the lines of "the problem with civil rights cases is the plaintiff." The Men's Rights movement suffers from that greatly. The men who really get screwed by family courts are typically low status who married very poorly.

Note that when the plaintiff is a low status woman who married poorly, this is much less of a problem.