On the other hand, the kid cares about bikes, and will mellow over time, especially if he goes to college and discovers how long his bike lasts in that environment. Most "kids these days." wouldn't even recognize an Ashtabula crank. Moreover, the apparent continued evolution of BB's and cranks suggests that maybe they haven't worked the problems out of modern cranks yet.
I picked up an old Schwinn frame this summer and turned it into a dedicated winter bike. I'm going to ride the one-piece crank with pride. It was fun to remember how to take it apart. The bearings were in perfect shape after nearly 5 decades, despite the fact that the frame showed evidence of fairly extensive use.