Social Marginalization by Race: Economic Deprivation and

Social Marginalization by Race: Economic Deprivation and White American Resistance in the Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X The rigorous history of African-Americanism and their emancipation within the American society reflects the struggles and perpetuation of discrimination among black Americans even during the 20th century. Malcolm X, considered one of the most radical and influential leader of the black American civil rights movement, centers on the issues of discrimination and white American resistance among the blacks in his famous discourse, The Ballot or the Bullet, delivered in April 3, 1964.

The relevance and significance of Malcolm X's discourse must be put into context in the events happening during his time. Historically, the socio-political landscape of the United States during the 1960s is characterized by the emergence and development of the civil rights movement for the marginalized sectors of the society, such as the youth, women, poor, and particularly, African-Americans.

Furthermore, it is also important to note that Malcolm X's speech was delivered at the height of the civil rights movement, where the black Americans has just received the legal right to vote, despite strong opposition from the white Americans. Thus, in The Ballot or the Bullet, he talks about the continuing prevalence of black American discrimination and prejudice in the country, despite its success in providing its people with rights equal to that of a white American. In the speech, Malcolm X identifies the U.S.

government as the 'hypocrite' and true oppressor of the black Americans, discriminating them through economic deprivation and establishment of white resistance in the American society. In effect, two emerging themes develop within Malcolm X's discourse, and these themes are identified as the main causes of the speaker's staunch demand for violence or "the bullet" over "the ballot: (1) the increasing fear of white Americans in growing unrest among black Americans; and (2) the developing adversarial role of the government on the issue of white and black American equality.

Violence, according to Malcolm X, is preferable over 'the ballot,' in order to frighten and threaten the treacherous government and its members to grant the black Americans with their hard-earned freedom and equality with the society not only socially, but also politically and economically. His radical and bold attitude may be assumed as the character of an activist inciting his audience (in this case, African-American society) to sedition or rebellion.

This attitude developed as a result of his observations, reasoning that the white Americans are slowly losing its 'strength' to resist the blacks. Indeed, this is explicitly illustrated in his assertion that the government, with all its "filibustering ad doing all other kinds of trickery to keep the Negro from being able to vote" actually leads to the strengthening of the black American society. He exclaims that this situation is " .. pitiful for the white man .. As the Negro awakens a little more and sees the vise that he's in ..

then the Negro's going to develop a new tactic." Evidently, the "new tactic" that he is referring to here can be construed as a precursor to violence, and a strategy that aims to build confidence and strength for his fellow black Americans. This point is reflected once again in Malcolm X's effective rhetoric on the "victory" of blacks over the whites. He likens the white American, particularly the segregationist, as "a man whose bias and prejudice are making him lose his mind, intelligence, everyday ..

he sees that the pendulum of time is swinging in your (black Americans) direction." This scenario is ironically a reversal of historical events concerning the whites and the blacks in the U.S.: where once the blacks are considered slaves and oppressed people, where there is constant paranoia and threat from the dominant white American, there is now the increasing number of assertive blacks who are willing to fight the faulty system they are in.

This is a natural effect of trying to maintain a socially imbalanced society, and with the pressure and strain of trying to subsist to the imbalanced, yet dominant, status quo, white Americans are slowly giving in and finds itself defeated in the widespread resistance against the blacks. It is noticeable that Malcolm X criticizes the government even from the start of his speech, blaming the Johnson administration (present administration at the time) as the 'culprit' for creating and perpetuating equality between the white and black Americans.

This attack is a revolutionary change in arguing for civil rights equality, since these movements have always been blaming society in general as the primary agent causing the continued discrimination and prejudice in the country. In this case, Malcolm X cites the government as the pervasive agent influencing society in maintaining an imbalance of treatment and rights among the black Americans.

Uniting all citizens of America, white and black Americans alike, he proclaims, "[y]ou and I in America are faced not with a segregationist conspiracy, we're faced with a government conspiracy ..

It is the government itself, the government of America, that is responsible for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of black people in this country." It is evident that although society has become receptive to and has finally acknowledged the rights and role of black Americans in the United States, a system formed by the Constitution, the government, is the real adversary of the civil rights movement's cause.

This idea is dangerous, mainly because government has the power to legally oppress the black Americans, suppressing even the white Americans in helping 'balance out' the social inequality existing in the U.S.

This is the primary reason why Malcolm X proposes a radical, even violent, change in the plight of black Americans: choosing "the bullet" over "the ballot" is a manifestation of letting society, especially the government, know that there is a new breed of African-Americans emerging, "a situation where the young Negro's coming up." The youth is not only the powerful sector of the society that is slowly emerging to break the status quo, but also those belonging to the "lumpen proletariat," outcasts or deviants of.