Damien did a great job of trembling the status quo set by the society. Whiplash is a perfect example of how healthy obsessions benefit you, but the society, full of dead people seeking comfort, can never understand this. The teacher knows what he is doing, and he is pushing his pupils out of their comfort zones, but the society doesn't wants great people, it only wants dead people, hence it puts an end to the teacher's pursuit. It's a great movie, a student obsessed with learning, and a teacher obsessed with teaching, in his own ruthless ways.