- Welcome back to the show.
Women are having a big moment in our country right now
but did you know that there are women in other countries?
I hopped across the border wall to meet some of them.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): In the three months
since their devastating earthquake,
Mexico City has rebounded swiftly thanks in no small part
to the efforts of the citizens who selflessly
rushed to the front lines.
I wanted to see how the people here
dealt with a Mexican disaster that wasn't caused by Trump.
And what I discovered in this vibrant city
was hopeful, inspiring, and in many ways very familiar.
Oh my god!
Oh, god.
Oh my god.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): These are just
some of the women of the Brigada Feminista, a bad ass
all woman rescue brigade that rushed to volunteer at some
of the hardest hit areas, including a collapsed textile
factory on Chimalpopoca Street, filled
with mostly female laborers.
I mean, for me I've never seen so much civilian
organization after a disaster.
And I will say, I want--
I want to help because there is this feeling of impotence.
But also you're like, the government is not responding.
So it was confusion and chaos and you did what you could.
Yeah.
Yeah definitely.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Why is this area so forgotten?
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Undocumented workers in Mexico?
Build that wall!
After the collapse, the government
tried to conceal their own culpability
in that the building was not up to code.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Following
in the Mexican political tradition
of saving your own culo, they planned
to flatten the site after only two days of rescue operations.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Nothing to see here.
This is just an empty parking lot.
Don't worry about it.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
So everybody stood in the way of their plan
to completely bulldoze it.
And it was-- it was powerful.
I mean, it was loud.
People were not having it.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): In the end,
the police backed off allowing the brigade
to extend their search for one more day,
exposing government corruption and helping to bring attention
to similarly neglected sites.
To me it feels like the lesson is, sometimes
it's good to listen to women because they know
what they're talking about.
Yeah.
I know that you didn't help for the glory,
but how did the press cover your inspiring story?
- They didn't-- - What?
--report anything about it.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): They were too busy
focusing on the strapping men who
worked to rescue a scared little school girl named Frida Sofia.
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
[END PLAYBACK]
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): She was brave.
She was captivating.
She was made up.
What?
And the coverage was for hours.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Why do men find fake women so much more likeable?
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
So when the media realized that Frida Sofia was fake,
they finally focused on the feminist brigade, right?
Oh, everybody's shaking their head.
Everybody's going, no.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Because there was also Frida
the adorable begoggled rescue dog who did several talk shows,
stadium appearances, won a National Medal of Honor,
and even got her own fucking mural!
What gives?
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
I'm very familiar with that.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Oh, that's so stupid.
Si.
So when they see the word feminist, they're like, uggh,
no!
It's just a bunch of man-women coming
to bury the men in rubble!
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Eventually
they got a certain amount of recognition for their heroics.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Grr.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Even, they go to lengths of, ah,
trying to dox to you on Twitter, like maybe
find out who your brothers or your sisters are.
So it gets super violent.
Just because you are part of a feminist brigade
and you wanted to dig people out of the rubble of an earthquake?
Mm-hm.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
We're going to find you and we're going to kill you.
Oh my god, our countries have so much in common.
You know, I really think Donald Trump would like it here.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Oh sure, being
a feminist has its challenges.
But I'm sure in time people will come around.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
You know what?
I just lean so hard into the term feminist
now that I just straight up call myself a witch.
I'm taking back the word.
Call myself a bruja.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
A supernatural force.
Yes.
SAMANTHA BEE (VOICEOVER): Let's do this.
Abracadabra, patas decabra, can someone
get these mujeres a fucking mural for rescuing people
from the god damn rubble?
Haa!
It worked!
We'll be right back.
[APPLAUSE]