"AND THE BAND PLAYED ON": DEVELOPING ETHICAL LEADERSHIP THROUGH A CASE STUDY OF THE AIDS CRISIS

In 1912, the largest ship in the world, the RMS Titanic, sunk on her maiden voyage, claiming the lives of more than 1,500 people (Kamuda, n.d.). While the wealthiest passengers enjoyed first class accommodations on the upper decks of the Titanic, poorer passengers and crew occupied the decks below. When the ship hit an iceberg, cracking open at the seams and sinking nose first into the ocean, rich and poor alike suffered a tragic death. As panic spread, bandleader Wallace Hartley and the band played music on the deck in a futile attempt to calm the passengers and mask the real crisis of the situation (Wallace Hartley, 2006). Later, band members took to the boats, singing or playing hymns to cheer those struggling to survive, now fully aware of the devastating catastrophe. As the ship sank, a wave overtook the band members and swept them into the sea. Randy Shilts, author of And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic, uses the analogy of the sinking ship and the “band playing on” to draw attention to America’s false sense of security in the midst of the growing AIDS crisis. Like the drowning passengers and crew of the Titanic, victims of AIDS collided with an unseen and mysterious enemy during the early stages of the HIV/AIDS crisis. When AIDS killed gay men, intravenous drug users, or prostitutes, few rushed to their rescue. Some even viewed AIDS as a biblical, punishing plague delivered without mercy to those who engaged in dangerous lifestyle choices. Later, when less marginalized and more privileged populations began to lose their lives, the concern about AIDS changed from ignoring a hidden disease to its designation as a public health issue.