Why do people not like rats?

i mean there freaken' awesome pets. why do people think there disgusting and transmit disease i mean wild rats i could see but every time i say i have pet rats everyone says ewe, i mean it doesn't bother me that people think that im weird its just i wish more people would learn how cool pet rats or like i call them the dogs of the rodent world are. have anyone ever thought it was weird to have a pet rat?