Gee, Thanks for Making Me a Social Outcast, Mom!

It was in the middle of my quest for duffle bags at Goodwill that I was informed that I had reached the lowest of the low as far as mother status goes.
My son, all six feet of him, presented me with an Xbox, "Mom, I will spend my own money. Can I buy this?"
When I answered him with a firm, "We've talked about this, you know where I stand on it. No."-
He began to argue with me about how I didn't understand and finished off with a searing, "You are making me an outcast of our society. You know that, don't you?"
"What?" I said, trying desperately not to crack up and piss him off further.
"You won't let me do cool things like play video games all day and watch movies all night. You won't let me own my own game station.- For birthdays and Christmas I get things like clothing and toys and books while my friends get iPods and laptops and Xboxes and green screens with camera equipment."
I did laugh then-
"Woah- you know one person who got green screen and camera equipment and that is way cool but you haven't shown the least bit of interest in that before yesterday so you can't even go there. Bring that up when you are way into photography and filming and we'll talk."
"Yeah, but you don't give me the cool stuff."
"Uh huh." I answered neutrally.

And then I thought about it. Nothing cool, huh? Well, let me think about this for a second: I made most of his toys along with his father until he was about 10, we took him to Renaissance fairs at least once a year, camped with him, gave him his favorite books, took/take him regularly to friends' houses and let him get movies about once a week- oh and he has his own little camera that is pretty cool and after homeschooling for a year and letting him explore his own learning, I don't see how he has much to complain about- then again, he's a teenager and a melancholic so he'll find something anyway.
So I said, "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. The answer is still no."
To which he responded, "Tell me WHY I can't have these things- WHY??!!"
"If I answer you, you have to listen this time. I'm not debating, I'm going to answer you honestly with my opinion and reasons and I don't want to be interrupted or argued with. Period. I'm the parent. Do you understand?"
"Fine." He said and I began.

I explained to him how these things that make us experience life in a passive way are literally changing our brain structure. I explained how I notice from my own parental experiments how when we didn't have any screen time, the whole family was more engaged and happy- fewer arguments, not a single mention of being bored (well not after the first week)- and how I felt that it was important to remember that life didn't- and doesn't- happen on or in front of a screen. I then said that I love movies and I am a big fan of Tetris (I know, weird) and that I understand completely the lure of the screen. I also explained that this aside, I felt that experiencing life and playing a game of Scrabble with your family as opposed to online with a computer was a fuller and more lively experience.
I finished off with the explanation that when I read about professors reporting that their students request being able to text each other in class to discuss topics for class instead of face to face in a group, that our society has a serious issue with screens. Seriously.
It's all about the balance- we do watch movies, we're no strangers to YouTube and we have played video games sans the game station-- and I am doing my best.
He was quiet. "I think this sucks, Mom." He said.
"I know but I think you'll thank me in about 10 years."
"I doubt it." He answered.

Well, at his age, that's the answer you generally get. Adolescence is rough and moving away from everyone and feeling the need to fit in even before you arrive at your new destination, is understandable. What if he doesn't know the newest video game because his annoying mom hasn't let him play it? What if he's never seen a particular movie because that same unmentionable mom won't let him see it? And what if, he has to spend his days reading, writing, drawing and playing in the river and fishing? What on earth would happen then?
I hope he'll make peace with me about this some day but until then I'm making a cape that reads "Maker of the Social Outcast"- and I'm wearing it-- with tights.