Ιδιαίτερη σημασία είχε η χρησιμοποίηση της διασκευής των Disturbed στο τραγούδι “The Sound Of Silence” των Simon & Garfunkel, στο πιο πρόσφατο επεισόδιο του Αμερικάνικου Dancing With The Stars. Ένα από τα ζευγάρια του show “έντυσε” την εμφάνισή του με το συγκεκριμένο τραγούδι, το οποίο έχει κάνει πάταγο από τη στιγμή που βγήκε στην κυκλοφορία, αλλά ακόμα πιο πολύ ενδιαφέρον έχει η ιστορία πίσω από την χρησιμοποίησή του.

Εκ των συμμετεχόντων στο show, ο ηθοποιός/μοντέλο Nyle DiMarco ζήτησε από τη μπάντα τη άδεια να χρησιμοποιήσει το τραγούδι για την εμφάνισή του με την παρτενέρ του Peta Murgatroyd και το έκανε για πολύ συγκεκριμένο λόγο. Ώντας κωφός και ο ίδιος, θέλησε με αυτόν τον τρόπο να ευαισθητοποιήσει τον κόσμο σχετικά με τον παραγκωνισμό της κοινότητας των κωφών, ορμώνμενος από την ερμηνεία των Disturbed και ειδικά από τους στίχους του κομματιού “People hearing without listening” και “Hear my words that I might teach you”. Αναφερόμενος στις συνέπειες μετά τη Διάσκεψη του Μιλάνο (1880), όπου στην ουσία απαγορεύτηκε η νοηματική και οι κωφοί πέρασαν πολύ δύσκολα χρόνια θεωρούμενοι ως παρακατιανοί και πολλές φορές βασανιζόμενοι, ο Nyle μίλησε για την προσπάθεια που κάνει μέσω της ιδοότητάς τους ως διάσημος αλλά και μέσω του DWTS, ώστε να γίνει καλύτερη η ζωή των κωφών με την καλύτερη ενσωμάτωσή τους στην κοινωνία. Με αυτό το σκεπτικό ζήτησε από τους Disturbed να βοηθήσουν, δίνοντας του την άδεια για το τραγούδι.

Η απάντηση της μπάντας ήταν άμεση και με μια ανακοίνωσή της στο Facebook, κάλεσε τον κόσμο να συνδράμει επίσης στον σκοπό του Nyle, δίνοντάς του την ψήφο τους. Ανέφεραν ως μεγάλη τιμή το γεγονός ότι από μια hard rock / metal μπάντα όπως αυτοί ζητάται κάτι τέτοιο, ειδικά όταν τους δίνεται η δυνατότητα να παίξουν ρόλο στην ευαισθητοποίηση του κόσμου στον σκοπό του Nyle.

Όπω μπορείτε να δείτε και στο παρακάτω video, φυσικά και χρησιμοποιήθηκε το “The Sound Of Silence”, με την επιτροπή και το κοινό να αποθεώνει το ζευγάρι που τελικά νίκησε!. Παρακάτω μπορείτε να διαβάσετε τα κείμενα τόσο του DiMarco όσο και των Disturbed, όπως να δείτε και την ευχαριστήρια ανακοίνωση του χορευτή προς το συγκρότημα μετά την εμφάνιση.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqVB638qHfI

Nyle DiMarco:”My name is Nyle DiMarco. I am Deaf. I’m the fourth generation and I have over 25 Deaf members in my family. I am now in the semi finals towards the Mirror Ball on Dancing With The Stars. I am writing this letter to let you know how much your song “Sound of Silence” means so much to me and my Deaf community and that I would love to dance to your song for the finals. I feel this is important for you to know that we the Deaf people underwent a terrible history and we are still stuck in the darkness. The darkness of oppression that your song truly reverberated to me.
Before the year 1880, we the Deaf people lived normal lives. We were perceived normal. We held political positions. We joined the army. We had jobs. We had an education through sign language that greatly benefited to our visual eyes and silent ears. It was until the Milan Conference in 1880 that led to language deprivation and… ultimately our culture, our job opportunities, and our intelligence. We were tortured. Our ancestors underwent electric shock chairs, surgeries (without anesthesia), and so many torturing methods just to help us regain our hearing. We were also punished if we used sign language. We were whipped. Slapped with our rulers. Abused. We were required to try and learn to speak (and that always, always miserably failed).
We also lost jobs. Many now perceive us as disabled, that we can’t serve the army, hold political positions, nor teach.
Because of the conference that almost led to the death of the Deaf culture (and was basically genocide and cultural-genocide), we are still trying to get out of the dark. I just founded Nyle DiMarco Foundation and our focus is on Deaf kids. We are working with state and U.S. senators to write and pass the bill that requires bilingualism (American Sign Language and English) because it was recently proven by science that it will benefit the Deaf child a lot more than just English only. I am using my celebrity platform and especially on DWTS for good cause.
With your song… we are planning on showing my history’s terrible times through dancing… and to your powerful and moving song. We feel that with you, your song, and us, we will make/change history and help people better understand our history, and build allies all over the world to help better Deaf lives.
Help us resurface from our darkness, from the systematic oppression. There is power in Sound of Silence.
We hope you will grant us the permission. Lets change history together!
Nyle DiMarco”

Disturbed: “Hello Disturbed Ones, we would like to share a touching email we recently received from Dancing with the Stars contestant Nyle DiMarco, who happens to be deaf and will performing his final dance tonight for the trophy to our version of “The Sound of Silence”. Nyle emailed us to ask for our permission to use our version of the song that has inspired him and hopes to convey an even bigger message to help people better understand the history of the deaf community.Tonight is the big night so help spread the word and cast your votes for Nyle! This is not only a great honor for a Hard Rock/Metal band like us to be asked to be part of the biggest night of their show but for us to play a role in raising awareness for Nyle’s cause. We wish him & Peta the best and please take a moment to vote tonight and share this post!
Watch & VOTE! 1800 868 3409
Thank You-
David, Dan, Mike, John”

Nyle DiMarco: ” Given that I am Deaf, there are two lines I personally loved from the song:
“People hearing without listening”
and
“Hear my words that I might teach you”

My interpretation of the song is that ever since The Milan Conference* in 1880, the Deaf people’s fate were decided by hearing educators who didn’t know much about Deaf culture and who thought they knew the best for us… when that time we served the army, held higher positions, and had great jobs… and were perceived as normal.
They decided to ban the use of sign languages worldwide. This led to our darkness, our depression. For hundred of years we fought against oppression. Ever since the ban of sign language, language deprivation is a serious issue among our Deaf kids. There are 70 million of Deaf people world wide and only 2% of them have access to education in sign language. 75% of parents do not sign to their Deaf kids. Deaf schools and Deaf programs are closing.
Millions of Deaf kids suffer of language deprivation. We’ve spoke up and went to conferences… and our messages were heard… but it was always “People hearing without listening”… when we’re trying to say “Hear my words that I might teach you” because as Deaf people, we know exactly how to raise Deaf kids – Bilingualism: American Sign Language and English.

If you want to help and improve Deaf lives and end language deprivation… please buy a shirt represent.com/nyle and the money will go to Nyle DiMarco Foundation

Thank you Disturbed for allowing us to use the song. Thank you for helping us change history together. And to the people we’ve come across, I hope you’ve become our allies. I love you all.”