I agree. There are similarities between manager/employee and master/slave relationships, just as there are similarities between these two relationships and that

I agree. There are similarities between manager/employee and master/slave relationships, just as there are similarities between these two relationships and that of parent/child, ruler/subject, big-country/small-country, guest/host, older-sibling/younger-subling and even in (m/f)spouse/(f/m)spouse. Social hierarchy in human beings is as inherent as the number of fingers we have on each hand. On another note, all of those relationships have the similarity of having no equality. If it's uncomfortable, it's only because it is what we can't say. http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html For every relationship there are roles and obligations we must fulfil in order to remain in that relationship, and when the obligations are broken by either party, e.g. a master punishing instead of rewarding a slave who did right by their master, the relationship will be imperilled.