Eraserhead vs. Per. 2 Economics

So in Economics today, we were required to go complete the FAFSA application in the computer lab. A few of us had already completed this so we were excused back to class. Our teacher, not having an plans, thinking that we'd be in the lab, plugged in a film that I helped pick out.

Eraserhead.

So for those who have seen this film, this is definitely a film for the open minded crowd.

Instead of watching this film, I watched my fellow classmates reactions. It was the expected:
"This film is stupid!"
Can you explain why you find it stupid?

"What the hell is going on?"
Why do you find yourself needing to know everything at once?

"Why did you choose this film?"
Because I enjoy torturing your minds by making you watch this art.

I was pretty convinced that the class would murder me as soon as the bell rang for lunch. They were bored by the first five minutes, and phones were beginning to pop out.
But when Henry goes to Mary's house, they began to get caught up in the film, even though they were still demanding concrete answers of what is happening, and why. More than once I felt like telling them to shut up and let their thoughts fill the film, but then I realized that this approach was useless.

I had a bit of a revelation during that Econ. class, people cannot accept what they don't understand, most of my classmates couldn't accept what they were seeing because they depend on factual, concrete reasonings for what happens.

Whenever I see this film, I see it as a canvas with pre-painted outlines, we have to allow our thoughts, experiences with life, and emotions fill in the color, and then see our finished product at the end. I believe this is not how David Lynch (director) intended it to be, but this is my interpretation of Eraserhead. And I have become a better thinker because of this work.

In an English class, my wonderful teacher taught us that a good thinker allows ambiguity. I pondered this statement for a few seconds before realizing that he is absolutely correct. I saw this change of allowing ambiguity occur during my Econ. class.

And at the end of my class, some students left with their opinions of Eraserhead still the same: It's a stupid film. I can't see in their brains, but maybe they have reasons for stating why they find this film stupid. And there were others who left the class wanting to know how Eraserhead ends. (We did not finish it.)

I had a chat with the teacher at the end of the period, his starter to the conversation was:

Teacher: "Well, that was an interesting pick!"

Me: "I wanted to see their reactions."

I did see their reactions. I was given crap about my choice of film during the first five minutes. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from calling them narrowminded. I saw their attitudes change and mine change as well as the film progressed.

Best of all? I was not murdered by a group of classmates.

Moral of the story: Watch this film, please watch it all the way through, give it a chance.