Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.

The systematic dissemination of information, ideas or rumors designed to skew a perception of a particular entity is a common practice that is very prevalent in modern society. This slanted information is known as propaganda. Though this is a contemporary practice it has primitive roots. According to Lasswell, "Classical Greek and Roman literature is the more or less accidental residue of propaganda. The walls of Pompeii were found to be covered with election appeals...In the American Revolution committees of correspondence fostered anti-English sentiment" (Laswell 14) This sort of manipulation grew stronger with the introduction of Sigmund Freud's theories of psychoanalysis.