Many people like to recall memories of the “good old days” in terms of pop culture. Most of the time this is in order to demonstrate how close our world has fallen towards the brink.

People love to point out that there is much more sex and violence in the media than there used to be — especially aimed at children.

I will grant you that things like television may have been more clean and wholesome in the Donna Reed era, but there is something else that is easily forgotten.

Most of those shows also sucked really bad.

Now I’m not going to fall into the trap of trying to relate today’s culture to the culture of the ’50s or ’60s because I wasn’t alive then. Luckily,

I don’t have to compare them in order to make my point.

During even the brief time that I’ve been on the planet, I have seen pop culture evolve to be much more complex, intelligent and maybe even dirty.

So, let’s talk about those things that are particularly aimed at young children.

Many people would point out that today’s video games are more violent than ever. At the same time, games like “Goldeneye” and “Mission Impossible” also have much more complex story lines and objectives than games of the past.

Way back when I was a kid, (we’re talking like 1987 here), one of my favorite video games was “Bad Dudes.”

As “Bad Dudes” begins, a man in a military uniform confronts you with this statement. “The president of the United States has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue him?”

It’s hard to believe that I was never skeptical of this scenario. If the president was ever, in fact, kidnapped by ninjas, wouldn’t a military strike be the best option? Apparently not.

Instead, they send in two guys in sweatpants and muscle shirts. You don’t even start with a weapon; you have to find your nunchucks, for Christ’s sake!

A story that lame would never go over with today’s N-64 set.

Children’s television shows have also undergone a revolution. When I see children’s cartoons today, like “Batman: The Animated Series,” I’m amazed at how complex and interesting some of the stories are.

When I was a kid, I was big on “G.I. Joe.”

Not to rip on the Joes, but every episode was about how they had to destroy some secret Cobra base inside a volcano.

In hindsight, I see several flaws there as well. Where the hell did Cobra get all their money? I would think if you had one secret base destroyed, it would set back your plans for world domination by at least a couple of weeks.

But no, the very next afternoon Cobra’s got a new base on some remote part of the world.

As I recall, the Crimson Guard twins did most of the financial dealings for Cobra. So, I guess we can all take a lesson from the shrewd business savvy of Tomax and Xamot.

Another shocking abomination from my childhood was “The Dukes of Hazard.”

I absolutely loved that show. I still remember the time my dad took me to the car show to see the General Lee.

So, naturally I was excited a few years ago when The Nashville Network began re-running old episodes.

My friend Eddie and I planned to get together and watch the pilot.

I was horrified. That show is just a bunch of rednecks in car chases. And isn’t the whole premise of the show that Bo and Luke can’t get in trouble because they’re on probation for bootlegging?

Yet in the course of one episode, they will steal a cop car, blow up a warehouse and kidnap Roscoe.

Aren’t these slightly more serious offenses than distilling a little corn liquor?

It’s sad, but I have to admit it. That is probably the stupidest show I have ever seen in my life. Except for Uncle Jesse.

And maybe Kooter.

The really remarkable thing is that I’m talking about events that went on only a few years ago.

The learning curve for children has been remarkable accelerated.

Which will, of course, lead some people to say that they’re being exposed to the horrors of the adult world too soon.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of the psychology of young children, so I don’t know when they should be exposed to violence.

But they’re not watching crap. Being challenged intellectually should be recognized as a worthwhile endeavor.

So the next time you’re concerned that your child is being corrupted, just think to yourself: “Hey, at least they’re not watching Knight Rider.”

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Ben Godar is a junior in sociology from Ames. He talked to “Kit” at the same car show.