I don't think it's particularly constructive, even as a strawman, to imagine every conceivable way some word could be interpreted as offensive. I submit that if the community consensus is that "chain" becomes a derogatory term, then we should agree to change it too.
On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 02:23:33PM +0000, David Mertz wrote:
It even has a symbol for chains, which is associated even more
closely with slavery than "master".
All the other examples are also forced and contrived. This is perhaps
worst. I own several chains for purposes having nothing to do with bondage
or oppression.
Chains are an almost universal symbol of bondage and slavery: "Man is
born free but everywhere he is in chains", according to Rosseau (please
forgive the sexism, his sense was mankind as a whole regardless of sex
or gender). How is this contrived? Not just contrived, but the "worst"
example of it.
If "master" is hurtful and harmful because of its connotations, "chains"
is even more so. There are "harmless" (supposedly) meanings for "master"
too, and "master branch" is one, but we decided to remove that. And yet
you are resistant to changing the others. Why?