In the recent past, the period between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was called and considered the Dark Ages. The common assumption was that it wasn't a great time.
I don't think the negative concept of "the Dark Ages" has has been considered valid for many decades, even in basic history classes. The term is still used, of course, but anyone with a basic history education should know that it only implies a relative lack of historical record (which is also decreasingly the case), rather than a period of intellectual darkness or decrease in quality of life.
