First of all, if you think that ASP.NET and MVC are alternatives, think again:
http://www.asp.net/mvc[
^].
As to the advice by friends,
Folk wisdom says:
Why do you need enemies, with such friends? :-)
Don't blame your friends though; it was just a joke, but with a very practical hint:
always use your own brain. If you look at other questions on this site, you can see that ASP.NET flourishes. However, if you look at the first paragraph above and just look around, you should understand that using ASP.NET and not learning MVC would be pretty silly.
I doubt you have right attitude in general.
If you face with technology you don't understand well right now, don't consider it as a hassle; consider it as an opportunity you don't want to miss.
Good luck,
—SA