Is being nice the same thing as being fake? And when does supporting your friends turn into enabling their bullshit?

This week, Dino Egg joins the HLS Podcast to talk about fake friends, toxic friendships, loyalty, and why some people continue hanging out with people they openly admit they don't even like.

Dino brings the crew a real-life situation involving EJ, Salad, and TI, a college friend group where everybody seems to know somebody is problematic, everybody talks about it, but somehow the friendship keeps going anyway. That raises a bigger question: if you're constantly talking shit about somebody behind their back but voluntarily inviting them to dinner, taking trips together, and calling them when you're bored...why are y'all still friends?

The crew gets into the difference between being cordial and being fake, whether popularity and social status keep toxic friendships alive, knowing when to cut somebody off, and whether understanding why somebody behaves badly means you have to excuse their behavior.

They also debate whether a real friend should call you on your bullshit, why sometimes adulthood means learning how to peacefully coexist with people you don't like, and the unfortunate reality that today's college asshole might become tomorrow's coworker...or your boss.

Plus: the Rebel Rundown, the Large Hadron Collider turning lead into gold, chewing ice, Overwatch's increasingly complicated Beef Chart, Tupac's scorched-earth approach to conflict resolution, and Dino's passionate defense of Roblox Animal Hospital.

Sometimes keeping the peace is maturity.

Sometimes it's being cordial.

And sometimes...

you're just being fake as hell.