Seating arrangements

THE CHAIR does not merely refer to a piece of furniture. It can stand for a person heading an organization or committee. While not always the designated decision-maker, the head of a group who leads a meeting around the table or online is designated as the “chair.”

- By Tony Samson

Using a piece of furniture for sitting to designate the sitter avoids the need for specifying gender or needing to change the word itself to accommodate any difference in sexual orientation. This tends to skirt (note the gender bias) the now chauvinistic term “chairman” with a male entitlement implied.

The dictionary reveals another possible meaning for the word “chairman” as one who carries a chair or pushes one with wheels for a physically challenged ward unable to walk the length of an airport terminal. This little-used definition of chairman as a menial occupation deviates from its more common reference.

A “chair” person (two words) on the other hand refers to someone with the job of collecting seats like Thai elephant chairs for tourists, ottomans around a hotel lobby, or divans for lounges. Another usage of “chair” person can refer to the hobby of collecting seating paraphernalia, just like a “gun person” being someone who collects pistols and uses them on non-moving targets.

The commonly understood “chair” however presides over meetings. She opens a meeting by ritually asking the corporate secretary if there is a quorum. (Yes, there is a quorum, Madame Chair.)