The term "illegals" is intentionally repulsive and, by design, pulls at our racist selves. The term gives us room to enjoy the cruelty inflicted on people we don't know, at a distance, so we can maintain the delusion that we are "good" people.
As long as you and your friends agree everything is fine, you should be okay.
Reflexive Thinking: She's wearing a cross. I can trust her. Critical Thinking: What message is she intending to send by wearing that particular cross? What message is she intending to send by wearing that cross in that just-noticeably-off manner? Are people who wear crosses trustworthy?
We are in trouble here. We can no longer speak to please. We can no longer speak to conform. We can no longer comply in advance. We must speak clearly. We must speak honestly. We must speak courageously. Knowing there will be costs for both our speech and our silence.
From the podcast "Choiceology." Katy Milkman: "What is your best example of the Dunning-Kruger effect?" David Dunning: "People arguing with me on social media about what the Dunning-Kruger effect really is."
The anti-intellectual movement continues to do battle and is manifest in each of Trump's cabinet selections and beyond. Syncopates, felons, grifters, and neo-fascists all.
Self-Licensing: An unconscious process. The more confident people are in their “rightness” or “goodness,” the less likely they are to concern themselves with the consequences of any harmful behavior they participate in. One’s “goodness” literally absolves one from any damage which follows.