Peer pressure, supporting the latest trend and going along with the crowd are widely accepted as a part of the quintessential high school experience. But the demand to comply with the standard opinion is hardly a phase that ends when we gain the right to vote.

 

For those who do not share the bleeding heart liberal approach to the current immigration issue, things can get tricky. If for whatever reason you disagree with the thousands of protesters that are making headlines, you may face some awkward situations around the water cooler tomorrow morning.

 

The extension of privileges and decriminalization of illegal immigration have somehow been hailed as the new civil rights movement. If you’re not part of it, you may be labeled as closed-minded, prejudiced, unsympathetic and perhaps even racist.

 

The strong supporters of the immigrant backlash rarely take the time to listen to what reasons one may have to oppose their cause, or at least their approach to it. An alternative to the guest worker program, different penalties for breaking U.S. and international law and other aspects of the controversial legislation are somehow not valid arguments that can lead to civil discourse. 

 

The 11-to-12 million undocumented workers in this country (an amount that has tripled over the past 20 years) have found supporters in almost every sector of the population, ranging from the Catholic Church to Hillary Clinton.

 

Even the unions are backing the undocumented workers, presumably because they need to boost membership numbers, which are hovering somewhere around 12 percent of the workforce.

 

Here is the case in point: you know that you better watch your mouth when you hear the president of the AFL-CIO is pushing for full and unconditional amnesty for the undocumented workers.

 

The matter is further complicated because it is not clearly cut out among party lines. Your boss may be a staunch Republican, but because he works for a big corporation, he may think that the millions who work in the cleaning and farming industry are necessary to keep the business growing.

 

Or your liberal immigrant neighbor may feel bitter toward the undocumented workers because he had to go through the hardships of entering the country and finding work legally.

 

The timeliness of the issue makes it a topic of constant discussion among coworkers, neighbors and classmates. The sensitivity of it puts it on par with topics like abortion and capital punishment. So while it’s hard to avoid the discussion, many of us wish to sidestep it or avoid it altogether in order not to disclose our deviant views. 

 

That in turn does not mean that deep inside we are hoping to build a 700-mile-long wall and start detaining priests and humanitarian volunteers. It does mean that we recognize the shades of gray in the matter and therefore are not willing to take sides quite yet.

 

If you’ve got the guts to firmly defend yourself against emotion-driven activists, more power to you. But if instead you just want to enjoy your morning cup of coffee without being interrogated about your knowledge of Mexican economy, simply ignore them or try to change the subject. Or do whatever you tell your 14-year-old to do when offered an illegal substance.