Pisser at large: public urination videos hit Syracuse

Accounts showing urination at various public spots are going viral on TikTok. Recently, Syracuse got its very own copycats.

The national video trend shows participants urinating at various locations, most commonly around college campuses, accompanied by a voiceover saying, “The Bay Harbor Butcher.” The name, a reference to the Showtime series “Dexter,” comes from the eponymous Dexter Morgan, a forensic analyst by day, and a serial killer by night.

Accounts posting at northeast college campuses, such as TikTok’s @the.cornell.pisser at Cornell University and @umaine.pisser3 at the University of Maine, previously went viral for videos showing a stream of urine on well-known spots and monuments at their respective campuses, racking up thousands of views.

Syracuse University is not exempt from this trend, with two notable pages: @syracuse_pissers and @syracusepisser. Both received numerous likes and views, urinating at SU buildings like Robert Shaw Hall and the JMA Dome. @Syracusepisser has since deleted their content.

There is active speculation on whether these accounts are actually urinating or just using a water bottle. Freshman Lucy Leef was skeptical when she came across the video in her For You Page (FYP).

“If it is real pee, they are very hydrated as it’s a shockingly clear stream,” Leef said.

Some TikTok users are debating over whether the urine is real

“I know it’s water, I just can’t prove it,” another user commented.

Others expressed confusion. One said “Just why?” Another user commented a word of caution to the @syracusepisser, saying to be wary of “thousands of cameras” around campus.

Some expressed shock that the trend was hitting SU, one saying, “FYP a little too local.”

Communication experts said this combination of shock and humor fuels the viral, nationwide trend, said Dennis F. Kinsey, a public relations professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“What gets attention online is often what breaks social norms,” Kinsey said.

Trends like the “pisser” gain traction quickly, Kinsey said, when content taps into a recognized or shared community.

Photo by Ankit Bandyopadhyay

Robert Shaw Hall, an SU residence hall, was a recent victim of the Syracuse Pisser.

Kiana Racha, a spokesperson for the Campus Safety and Emergency Management Service, said no reports have been made to the Department of Public Safety or Syracuse Police Department.

SU Facilities Services declined to offer a comment at this time.

Accounts trying to track these “pissers” have also been created, such as @the.unc.pisser.hunter and @syracuse.pisser.h, to update residents on the urinators’ last locations. 

The Syracuse hunters have yet to post anything, even though the @syracuse_pissers are still posting their activities, one just this week.

But the message is clear: no building is safe from the pisser’s activities.