a comma before when

Question

Our story of bus drivers reveals the existence of the proverbial elephant in the room. It shows that the living standards of the huge majority of people in rich countries critically depend on the existence of the most rigorous control over their labor markets - immigration control. Despite this, immigration control is invisible to many and deliberately ignored by others, when they talk about the virtues of the free market.

Q) Is there any meaning difference with and without the comma in front of "when" in the last line? Does it just mean the normal when like in "I was play a computer game when mom came home?"

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

moon7296Despite this, immigration control is invisible to many and deliberately ignored by others, when they talk about the virtues of the free market.

In my opinion the comma is wrong there. It's not a matter of a difference in meaning.

moon7296I was playing a computer game when Mom came home.

Right. It's like this. No comma.
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Expert's corner:

Note that there is a little difference in the meaning, though, because of the tense and aspect differences.

Immigration control is invisible to many ... when(ever) [i.e., on any of possibly many occasions when] they talk about ....
But
I was playing a computer game when [i.e., at the one moment when] Mom came home.

The first implies that the situation may occur on multiple occasions, which you can make explicit by substituting whenever; the second does not.

CJ

a comma before when

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