I think that's semantics. If oppression is not evil / undesirable / bad, then definitions for each have been diluted beyond use. And I think you agree that oppression is bad, based on your statements.

My question therefore remains - is every manager bad? Are we to burn them all? Are all rules or processes or structures inherently and always bad? Is anything but pure anarchy oppressive? Is all society horrible?

If yes, that's a fascinating, and I put forward unrealistic perspective.

If not, then I think that's the interesting part of conversation. What is a manager that a leader isn't? What makes a manager bad? What makes a system oppressive?

Otherwise it's just a meaningless "managers are bad" platitudes for cheap points.

Edit / add on

Basically I'm still stuck on first claim that managers are inherently I oppressive. I had bad managers and they were oppressive. I had good managers and they were liberating. They took care of organizing things. Just like last night - somebody seemlessly took care of timing, keeping track of numbers and puzzles, and helping us resolve confusion and communication. So rest of us could focus on fun and puzzles. They were a good manager and the opposite of oppressive. so I still need some backing before I grant or consider that premise given in such a universalist fashion.

Edit 2 - re read and come on. You put racism and capitalism and managers in same statement as members of same category. If that's not calling them evil I don't know what it is :-)