Owen celebrates his eighteenth birthday today. With this birthday he takes on the responsibility of becoming a legal adult of the United States of America. He now possesses the right to vote, and if he chooses, the right to purchase tobacco products and/or pornographic videos. He registers for the draft and accepts that the U.S. Armed Forces possess the right to call on him at a time of war. Owen also accepts the responsibility to go to war when the armed forces call on him. It shows an obstruction of justice that the government classifies him as an adult in their time of need, but the society that the same government built still perceives him as a child by its standards. By this society's standards, the three year waiting period from eighteen to twenty-one appears as a restriction; this restriction discriminates against the people in this age group because it gives them a false perspective of adulthood.
One restriction creates a dilemma when celebrating with older friends or coworkers. Something as simple as the offering of a drink produces an embarrassing moment when one declines because of age. Owen goes out on the town with his friends to celebrate his birthday. While eating dinner in a fancy French restaurant, Owen's friends order a bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion. The waiter tells Owen that he lacks the age qualification to consume the alcohol. Owen shows immediate embarrassment. By this, Owen becomes restricted even though, by law, he qualifies as a legal adult. Owen sees this as age discrimination because he considers himself an adult and expects all the rights that other adults possess. By not possessing this right, Owen sees a flare of the false perspective. .
Another restriction creates a similar problem. Gambling, not permitted until the age of twenty-one, produces an enjoyable way to spend the evening with friends. Owen's friends surprise him later that evening with tickets to see his favorite performer at a casino.