Rats: Scary.

Peter D. Sealey: "Rats are scary."

Like, totally.

Commentator: "With little effort, rats can create paranoia, fear, and nightmares. In fact, rats are so menacing that they can scare themselves. Researchers at the Massacusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that rats experience nightmares when they dream."

Indeed, the rats didn't put very much effort into their negative image. We did. Millions of advertising dollars and years and years of exposure have given us great reason to be paranoid, to be afraid, and to have nightmares about rats.
Following the commentator's brilliant logic: Since I experience nightmares, that must mean humans are menacing. But wait, I already knew that :o/