That is your belief/opinion, I don't agree with it. While I don't think chaining a dog and leaving it 24hours a day 7 days a week without any interaction is alright, Tethering or chaining a dog is not wrong it is the responsible thing to do for proper containment if you don't have a proper yard or have multiple dogs.
Bransen lives in the house but is tethered sometimes too. It's a safe and secure way to contain your dog. The problem isn't tethering, the problem is shitty and neglectful owners. It's not the tool it is how you use it. I know plenty of people who think tethering is "cruel" but leave their dogs outside in the yard, in a crate or kennel, or just let them rot on the couch all day. A shitty owner is a shitty owner, plain and simple. If tethering is out of the question the owners who you are refer to are owners would leave their dogs outside in the yard or something, think about it.