Sable shows us a world free from misogyny – and it’s wonderful
I’m an independent person. I’m also not a man. Unfortunately, through no fault of my own, these facts are oppositional. There are many activities that people who aren’t men don’t feel safe doing, are advised against doing, or are unable to do independently, whether as a result of danger or law.
An hour or two into Sable - check out our review here, by the way - I'm ready to leave the canyon where my clan had once settled, and after a final goodbye from my matriarchal caregiver Jadi, I am, for the first time in my life, truly alone. Simoon, my sentient hoverbike, thrums under me as we crest a mesa. The game’s score swells, and I stylishly swing Simoon to a stop and dismount to take in the vista. I think about the journey I'm about to embark on, the discoveries I'll make, and the challenges I'll overcome. I put down my controller and stare at the cold maze of windshorn rock faces that extends as far as the eye can see. The light transitions from burning orange, to twilit grey, and eventually to midnight blue, as Japanese Breakfast’s soundtrack plucks at my heartstrings. I start to cry.
I was on a countryside walk with my partner recently. The sun was setting and an energetic poodle bounded up to me to lick my hand. Its owner approached to coax their dog along and we shared a smile. Shortly afterwards, my partner notes that it’s nice to find places where feminine presenting people are at ease, and I relate that there’s an unspoken comfort in crossing paths with people who aren’t men. A shared moment of, ‘Hey, it’s nice to see you here! Feels like there’s no risk we’ll get assaulted this far out in the country, isn’t that neat?’
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