When Austin-based movie brewhouse Alamo Drafthouse announced they would be hosting a women-only screening of the new Wonder Woman movie, it caused something of an uproar. Angry men who had previously had zero interest in seeing the Wonder Woman movie suddenly were up in arms about sexist discrimination.

Personally, I could not give a single hoot about the Wonder Woman movie. I am much more into Iron Man. However, the fact that so many people became so very angry I think, warrants discussion. On one hand, the point could be made that a “men-only” screening of any movie would certainly cause backlash. On the other though, there are numerous and egregious examples of sexist discrimination against women for centuries (suffrage, personhood, land-ownership spring immediately to mind). The scale, somehow, does not seem to have been evened by a one-time women-only movie presentation. This is a tempest in a teapot.

Now, meet the tempest:

Austin Mayor Steve Adler posted to his website that he was contacted by one such angry individual. Richard A. Ameduri wrote the following email to Mayor Adler on May 26, 2017:

“I hope every man will boycott Austin and do what he can to diminish Austin and to cause damage to the city’s image. The theater that pandered to the sexism typical of women will, I hope, regret its decision. 

The notion of a woman hero is a fine example of women’s eagerness to accept the appearance of achievement without actual achievement. Women learn from an early age to value makeup, that it’s OK to pretend that you are greater than you actually are. 

Women pretend they do not know that only men serve in combat because they are content to have an easier ride. Women gladly accept gold medals at the Olympics for coming in 10th and competing only against the second class of athletes. Name something invented by a woman! 

Achievements by the second-rate gender pale in comparison to virtually everything great in human history was accomplished by men, not women. If Austin does not host a men-only counter event, I will never visit Austin and will welcome its deterioration. And I will not forget that Austin is best known for Charles Whitman.

Does Austin stand for gender equality or for kissing up to women? Don’t bother to respond. I already know the answer. I do not hate women. I hate their rampant hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of the “women’s movement.” Women do not want gender equality; they want more for women. Don’t bother to respond because I am sure your cowardice will generate nothing worth reading.

Richard A. Ameduri”

How did Mayor Adler respond? In a word: Brilliantly. Keep in mind that this is the man who declared a taco war on San Antonio last year. Here’s what Mayor Adler wrote:

“Dear Mr. Ameduri,

I am writing to alert you that your email account has been hacked by an unfortunate and unusually hostile individual. Please remedy your account’s security right away, lest this person’s uninformed and sexist rantings give you a bad name. After all, we men have to look out for each other!

Can you imagine if someone thought that you didn’t know women could serve in our combat units now without exclusion? What if someone thought you didn’t know that women invented medical syringes, life rafts, fire escapes, central and solar heating, a wartime communications system for radio-controlling torpedoes that laid the technological foundations for everything from Wi-Fi to GPS, and beer? And I hesitate to imagine how embarrassed you’d be if someone thought you were upset that a private business was realizing a business opportunity by reserving one screening  for women to see a superhero movie.

You and I are serious men of substance with little time for the delicate sensitivities displayed by the pitiful creature who maligned your good name and sterling character by writing that abysmal email. I trust the news that your email account has been hacked does not cause you undue alarm and wish you well in securing your account. 

And in the future, should your travels take you to Austin, please know that everyone is welcome here, even people like those who wrote that email whose views are an embarrassment to modernity, decency and common sense.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Adler”