In the early 1960s, Malcolm X stated that “The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that is power. Because they control the minds of the masses." ("Great-Quotes.com") Although he was quoted more than half a century ago, Malcolm recognizes the media as a bad influence, however Chuck Palahniuk's novel, Survivor, explores this concept. The story is told through the main character, Tender Branson, as he is thrust into the spotlight after becoming the sole survivor of the Creedish Death Cult. .As a leading figure in the media, Tender is forced to transform himself and, as a result, inspire people to support his agent's ideology. Survivor paints the media as a negative aspect of society because it pushes people to become something that they are not manipulating and brainwashing them. Palahniuk conveys this commentary through the use of characters, symbols, and parallel plots as he reflects on today's society within his novel. Beautiful people with stellar personalities are often found in the media, whether in a TV show, a movie, or a magazine. . These so-called celebrities set extremely high standards for appearance, causing those who do not meet those standards to be unattractive or unattractive. The media creates a negative stigma that unpleasant-looking people are inferior to good-looking ones, ergo, many people strive to become more attractive and are willing to do ridiculous things to themselves, such as plastic surgery, to get this made up sense. of beauty. By media standards, Pal... middle of paper... media hatred, and the transformation of Tender Branson into someone the media deems 'attractive,' are all ways Palahniuk verifies his comment. The media is a very powerful entity in today's society, however with power comes great responsibility, which is currently being ignored. If the media used their power for positive things like promoting world peace, or used their money to eliminate world hunger, the world would be much more civilized because its priorities would be properly in order. Works Cited Garica, J.. "Heidi Montag Obsessed with Being 'Perfect'." People. People Magazine, 2011. Web.15 January 2012. “Molcom X Quote.” Great-Quotes.com. Np, nd Web. January 11, 2012. Palahniuk, Chuck. Survived. London: vintage, 2000. Print.