Bad Ideas Are Eternal
Two entries in Flaubert’s catalogue of inane clichés, the Dictionnaire des Idées Reçues (Dictionary of Accepted Ideas, tr. Jacques Barzun) are depressingly familiar:
Importation: Ver rongeur du commerce.
Imports. Canker at the heart of Trade.
Libre-Échange: Cause des souffrances du commerce.
Free Trade: Cause of all business troubles.