I think that you need to put some things in perspective . The things you mentioned that have you so upset have their roots in the writings of Dr . Spock , who died nearly 20 years ago , and books like I ' m OK , You ' re OK published in the late 60 s . They are by no means an original product of the Millennial generation . Furthermore , neither Fletcher nor Andrew are portrayed as particularly admirable people , or as people a reasonable person would want to become . They are obsessive , singleminded , manipulative , and cruel , and the film doesn ' t , in my opinion , try to portray such traits as good . The conclusion is actually quite dark . Andrew ' s father points out that Charlie Parker died broke and alone at the age of 34 in maniacal pursuit of his craft , and at the end of Whiplash , we ' re led to believe Andrew is on the very same path .