For "too bad" the french say "malheur!" which I think sounds a little more sympathetic. It's composed of two morphemes: mal = bad and heur = time. "bad time!"
Also, god help us if the marketplace of ideas is considered a dangerous idea.
The essays have different views on what "dangerous idea" means; sometimes its the author's heretical idea, sometimes its a widely held view-- even a true one-- that poses some danger as the status quo.