Principal fights agents ICE in front of School

The principal hitting the ICE agent immediately evokes shock, serving as a hook that keeps the audience watching. Similar to many other sensational news clips or videos created to cause social outrage, this short begins with a high level of tension brewing between the two parties involved: dutiful ICE agents and the determined public school. The principal is portrayed as the leader, protector, and hero in the video; the communicator aims to elicit a moral connection with the audience. The ICE agents, on the other hand, are shown as weak, apathetic, and unfocused. They are shown rushing into the entrance, seemingly without a purpose for what to do with the principal or the students, when the principal recklessly decides to hit one of the agents.

In this portion of the clip, the principal is yelling at the ICE agents to go away. He's defending his students, showing how far he is willing to go for them. This is representative of other teachers, all around America, who are standing with their students who may be immigrants. The ethos of the video comes from the primary actor in the video being a principal of a school (a figure of authority, respect, and discipline). Furthermore, the tone of the principal is exemplified through his direct speech as well as the method of delivery; the principal yells in an angry, heated, and assertive manner. 

This portion shows the children in the background yelling and seemingly cheering on the principal, adding to the chaotic atmosphere of the situation. The purpose for this segment is to try to convince the audience that this is a real school environment, with children directly being affected by the issue at hand. The children seem to be of different age ranges and are exhibiting varying levels of engagement with the contention between the principal and the ICE agents; some students are even yelling directly at the ICE agents, supporting the principal’s efforts. The purpose of the students’ placement outside of the school building is to emphasize the level of disruption the ICE agents have caused this small, seemingly impoverished school.

In this section, the principal is yelling, "This is a safe place, you hear me!" This evokes the audience's empathy for the principal, based on how much he 'cares' for his students. Similar to his other angry speech towards the ICE agents later on in the clip, the principal underscores how his school is not open to intrusion, oppression, and unlawful prosecution. The tone is intense, and the ethos of this portion stems from the principal’s overall demeanor and confidence. The hyper-realistic image of the principal defending his pupils evokes a sense of trust and authority, despite the entirety being artificially generated.

The video shows that one of the children is wearing a hoodie that reads "ICE." This is inconsistent with the purpose and message of the clip, as the student is supposedly showing support for the political entity. Rhetorically, the video loses ethos when subtle inconsistencies like this occur, thereby weakening the audience's trust in the account, video, and content. If the audience catches the mistake, they are likely not to be persuaded by the video as they may have realized that it is AI-generated, or possibly staged, thinking it is a satirical or ironic representation. The fact that the child’s clothing appears near the end of the video lowers the chances of the audience pinpointing this mistake, which may have been an intentional measure taken by the communicator of the video.

Near the end of the video, it is seen that the principal seemingly “steps through” the solid metal divider in the middle of the stair steps. Additionally, the sign above the school entrance reads a series of random letters and numbers, which is atypical of a school’s foundation, regardless of class, level, and location. This is a clear error from part of the AI’s generation, as it fails to capture the full context behind a school’s structure and how physics works in real life. This may also lead to the audience doubting the video’s authenticity, primarily because the video lacks a clear line of logos.