Actually if you look at the whole Star Wars set as a whole, it may become apparent to you that the Dark Side basically had bad PR. Okay, those of the Dark Side are bad; otherwise, it would not be the Dark Sied. But ask yourself this question, is the other side better?

The Dark Side as a group is more or less equal to the political ideal of facisism. Many personal freedoms are lost; BUT, the garbage is picked up, the trains run on time, and crime is very low. In other words, the Aniken charcter states it best. "We will make everybody be good---by force if necessary (paraphrased)." I know many people who were uneasy with the sixth installment of the saga because it showed that the Aniken/ Darth Vader character saw himself as the good guy.

On the other hand, the Jedi Knights as a group are more comparable to the political idea of communism -- the Joe Stalin-USSR version, not the Marx-Engle version. Think KGB (basic Jedi Knights) led by the high officials of the Party (Jedi Counsel). All planets are allowed self-rule (soviets) as long as they abide by the decisions (sorry, I meant "counsil" of the Jedi Counsel. If not, Jedi Knights would be sent to convince those who disagree the error of their ways. I believe the Aniken character jokingly in a conversation with the Amidala character referred to it as "Stratigic diplomacy" through the use of light sabers guided by the "Force." In other words we have rule by (the)Force through fear.

So think about it. I personally do not like either of these ideologies. However, if I had to choose the lesser of the two evils, I would prefer the straight-forwardness of the Dark Side's facisism to the hypocrisy of the Jedi Knight's brand of communism.