Too Many Tabs with Pearlmania500: "The Streisand Effect: She Tried to Hide from the Internet" | TMT 144

Release Date: September 7, 2025
Hosts: Pearlmania500 (A) & Mrs. Pearlmania (B)

Episode Overview

This episode centers around the Streisand Effect, the phenomenon where attempts to hide, censor, or remove information from the internet only make it more publicized. Through a mix of cultural anecdotes, internet lore, historical parallels, and heated current events, Pearlmania500 (A) and Mrs. Pearlmania (B) explore why trying to hide things online almost always backfires. The episode is hilarious, tangent-filled, occasionally serious, and weaves in everything from Barbra Streisand’s infamous lawsuit to modern examples like Beyonce, Winnie the Pooh in China, and the ongoing controversy around the Jeffrey Epstein list.

Key Topics & Discussion Breakdown

1. What Is the Streisand Effect?

[00:32 – 01:49]

• The intro defines the Streisand Effect, comparing internet curiosity to the psychology of telling someone not to press a mysterious button.
• Notable Quote:

  "When you try to hide something from the Internet, the Internet mobs... it becomes their entire personality. And before you know it, an effect happens. An effect called the Streisand effect."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [00:32]

2. The Barbra Streisand Origin Story

[04:37 – 14:38]

• Background: Barbra Streisand (iconic singer/actress) tried to suppress an online photo of her Malibu mansion, originally photographed for a scientific study on coastal erosion in 2003.

• Details:

  • Scientists posted 12,000+ coastal photos online, one inadvertently showing Streisand’s house.
  • Streisand sued the photographer/website for $50 million claiming a violation of privacy.
  • The lawsuit was dismissed; she had to pay the photographer's legal fees ($177,000).
  • Impact: Before the legal action, the photo had only been seen six times (including her attorneys); after publicity, 420,000 views in the following month.

• Notable Quotes:

  "She was mad about six people looking at it. And in discovery phase, they realized that two of those were actually her attorneys."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [13:44]

  "What did everybody do? They went to go find it. They went searching and looking...the image was then viewed 420,000 times."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [14:19]

3. The Naming of the Streisand Effect (urinal.net Story)

[17:59 – 22:44]

• The term was coined in 2005 by Mike Masnick, who ran urinal.net, after a resort demanded removal of a photo of their lobby urinal.

• Urinal.net responded with snark, an artistic rendition, and highlighted the censored hotel name via abstuse clues—a clear act of internet pettiness.

• Notable Quotes:

  "Urinals.net is a website dedicated to photographs of urinals...Is this a sex thing or is this just a fun thing?"
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [18:32]

• The attempt to have the information removed led to much more traffic and exposure for urinal.net.

4. Psychological Roots & Ancient Variants

[28:13 – 36:07]

• Humans are naturally drawn to forbidden information ("psychological reactance"). The idea is echoed in various cultures, including the Chinese proverb "wishing to cover makes it more conspicuous."

• Notable Quotes:

  "It's like when I was little and I found out that my Parents had gotten all my Christmas gifts early, and then they hid them in the house. And it was like. I didn't care what the gifts were—I needed to find them."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [29:10]

• The tendency is so durable that it is encoded in Chinese chéngyǔ (four-character idioms).

5. Global Examples of the Streisand Effect

A. China & Winnie the Pooh

[36:07 – 43:10]

• President Xi Jinping, unhappy with being compared to Winnie the Pooh, had Pooh images censored across Chinese internet.
• Result: The meme spread globally, and censorship itself became a meme.
• Notable Quotes:

  "He finds out...there's some people making memes saying he looks like Winnie the Pooh... So in order to make it stop, he uses the government that he's in charge of to ban any pictures of Winnie the Pooh...it actually grows so big that by banning it in China, a joke that only a few people...now millions, if not billions...know about this."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [42:16]

B. Tiananmen Square

[44:23 – 46:35]

• China’s attempt to erase the 1989 protests from historical record has only led to ongoing international fascination and persistent meme-ing.

C. The Right to Be Forgotten

[32:39 – 34:05]

• Attempts in Europe and elsewhere to remove personal data from the internet often backfire; lawsuits and takedown requests end up amplifying the unwanted information.

D. Tipper Gore, PMRC, and “Explicit” Music

[49:13 – 54:45]

• Tipper Gore (former second lady) spearheaded the campaign to put "Parental Advisory" labels on music.
• Musicians like Zappa, Dee Snider, and John Denver famously testified against censorship.
• The label became a mark of coolness; sales of labeled albums soared.
• Notable Quotes:

  "Those stickers actually became, like, a badge of honor. Because if you had a CD that didn't have this sticker on it, you were like, what are you listening to? Barry Manilow?"
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [50:09]

E. Beyonce’s Halftime Photos

[55:28 – 56:54]

• Beyoncé’s publicist tried to bury unflattering 2013 Super Bowl images. Buzzfeed doubled down, the images spread—now more famous than the actual performance.
• "If you tell the Internet, don't talk about something—it's everywhere."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [60:00]

6. The Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival/Blood Money, Tim Dillon & Reverse Streisand

[63:23 – 84:33]

• Saudi Arabia’s efforts to rebrand via lavish spending on sports & arts (a.k.a. sportswashing), including a 2025 stand-up comedy festival, is widely criticized as an authoritarian whitewash.

• Some comedians tried to quietly accept the money; Tim Dillon (and later, others) “reverse Streisand-ed” it by loudly mocking their own hypocrisy.

• Key Moment: Tim Dillon on going to Saudi Arabia for comedy:

  "We're taking the money. How about that? Sorry. Oh, you weren't invited...Get over it."
  — Tim Dillon (clip), [77:28]

  "What he's trying to do is he's trying to decenter it. Say that I'm doing it as a bit...But he's not trying to hide it. If anything, he's trying to lean into it more."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [83:22]

7. The Ongoing Epstein Files Cover-Up

[87:01 – 97:30]

• The most “meta” Streisand Effect: attempts by the rich and powerful to suppress the Epstein victim list and related files only fuels public obsession and conspiracy, especially when suppression is visible (e.g., hashtags difficulties, missing video minutes).

• Notable Quotes:

  "Look at me in the eye. What's the Streisand effect is when a cover up causes people to want to find out more information about things...like maybe involving the Jeffrey Epstein list."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [87:03]

  "That cover up right there, that cover up is what keeps bringing this story up over and over and over again."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [94:16]

Memorable Moments & Quotes by Timestamp

• "If you try to hide things from the Internet, it makes it seem more suspicious....The act of hiding, it makes it seem even worse."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [02:27]

• "She sues them for $50 million for a violation of privacy...the lawsuit was immediately dismissed. The picture had only been downloaded and viewed six times total."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [12:00–13:44]

• "Barbra Streisand's Lawyer: sue for $50 million. Now, I have a feeling...that the 50 million number was chosen to just scare them off."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [12:15]

• On Urinal.net:

  "They had a painting commissioned of the urinal itself so that you artistically view it."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [20:57]

• "Expressed in Chinese chengyu...wishing to cover more conspicuous."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [34:44]

• "Tried to ban images of Winnie the Pooh. The more you try to cover something, the more brightly a light will be shined on it."
  — Mrs. Pearlmania (B), [36:41]

• "These are really cool parental advisory stickers...The label became a mark of coolness; sales of labeled albums soared."
  — Pearlmania500 (A & B), [49:56–54:22]

• "If you tell the Internet, don't talk about something—it's everywhere. Especially if you’re doing it in a heavy-handed way."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [60:00]

• Tim Dillon on Saudi Arabia:

  "We're taking the money. How about that?...I'm not here to be a spoil sport. Do I have issues with some of the policies towards women? Towards the gays? Yeah. Towards the freedom of speech. Well, of course I do..."
  — Tim Dillon (clip), [77:28 & 79:26]

• "If something bad is happening to your left, look to your right. If I look the other way and I see someone being [hurt], I might look down...because I'm being paid enough money to look the other way."
  — Tim Dillon (clip), [82:16]

• Epstein List & Modern Streisand Effect:

  "That cover up right there, that cover up is what keeps bringing this story up over and over and over again."
  — Pearlmania500 (A), [94:16]

Additional Notable Sections

• [03:15] – [04:37]: Libraries & book bans—a modern American Streisand Effect in education.
• [28:54] – [29:47]: Personal childhood stories about forbidden knowledge, gifts, and lying.
• [42:45] – [43:34]: South Park’s lampooning of authoritarian censorship.
• [63:39] – [66:29]: Jamal Khashoggi and the international consequences of attempted coverups by authoritarian states.

Tone and Style

• The hosts maintain an irreverent, witty, highly interactive tone—full of pop culture references, side rants, and marital banter.
• Serious moments (Epstein, Khashoggi, government cover-ups) are delivered with both outrage and humor, lightened by asides (e.g., "let the board lick your face") and audience engagement.
• Many subject changes are introduced by quick in-jokes and weird segues, highlighting the show’s namesake ("Too Many Tabs") and chaotic approach.

Conclusion & Takeaways

• The effort to suppress, censor, or erase information in the internet age almost universally fails—not only failing to hide, but amplifying the original subject far beyond its potential reach.
• The Streisand Effect applies everywhere: celebrity privacy, political scandals, international censorship, and even personal pettiness. Attempts to control information usually court disaster—sometimes at a global scale.
• The episode closes with thanks and reminders to support their Patreon, ending, as ever, with the tongue-in-cheek theme:

  "Too many frauds and too many scammers that we wish weren't real... starting to feel like we've got too many tabs open..."

For listeners who haven’t tuned in:
This episode will deepen your understanding of why the internet always finds out, as well as provide laughs, outrage, and plenty of wild cultural references—from urinal paintings to global politics.