---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If ever there was a prime-time trigger…"
description: "\"“If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you couldn't do much better than this, but lucky for Norm, the crowd, America, the forty-million-plus ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png"
---

#  If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you…

![“If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you couldn't do much better than this, but lucky for Norm, the crowd, America, the forty-million-plus TV viewing audience, Bravos can deal, oh yes! Pupils dilated, pulse and blood pressure through the roof, limbs trembling with stress-reflex cortisol…” quote by Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png)

> ““If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you couldn't do much better than this, but lucky for Norm, the crowd, America, the forty-million-plus TV viewing audience, Bravos can deal, oh yes! Pupils dilated, pulse and blood pressure through the roof, limbs trembling with stress-reflex cortisol rush, but it's cool, it's good, their shit's down tight, no Vietnam-vet crackups for Bravo squad! You can march these boys straight into sound-and-light show hell and Bravos can deal, but damn, isn't it rude to put them through it.””

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Critiques media sensationalism that exploits trauma for entertainment.

**In simple terms:** Media can trivialize serious issues.

Key Takeaway

Question sensationalist content.

Themes

media ethics trauma entertainment

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- news consumption
- film criticism
- mental health advocacy

Key Concepts

sensationalism public health awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does media affect your stress levels?
- What responsible storytelling practices exist?

A Different Perspective

May generalize all media as harmful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ptsd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ptsd/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“Don’t talk about shit you don’t know, Billy thinks, and therein lies the dynamic of all such encounters, the Bravos speak from the high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/don-t-talk-about-shit-you-don-t-know-billy-thinks-and-therein-lies/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [I started working at Bravo in 2005, when I was offered a job by Lauren Zalaznick, the network's chairman. She encouraged me to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/i-started-working-at-bravo-in-2005-when-i-was-offered-a-job-by-lauren/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

> [The Confessions of Catherine de Medici is a dramatic, epic novel of an all-too-human woman whose strength and passion propelled her into the center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-gulland/the-confessions-of-catherine-de-medici-is-a-dramatic-epic-novel-of-an/)

[Sandra Gulland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-gulland/)

> [Why did John Wilkes Booth do it? In My Thoughts Be Bloody young historian Nora Titone is one of the few to have genuinely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-winik/why-did-john-wilkes-booth-do-it-in-my-thoughts-be-bloody-young/)

[Jay Winik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-winik/)

> [One could think of a person who seems to have two opposing and contradictory sides to his personality; but it turns out that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-alvarez-bravo/one-could-think-of-a-person-who-seems-to-have-two-opposing-and/)

[Manuel Alvarez Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-alvarez-bravo/)

> [You know, we've got so much on Bravo and coming up on Bravo, and I think we have so much more going on than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/you-know-we-ve-got-so-much-on-bravo-and-coming-up-on-bravo-and-i/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

> [This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/this-is-the-bravo-s-dance-the-water-dance-swift-and-sudden-all-men/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [I just can't ever be a free spirit and just relax. When it comes to work, this is good. I'm very disciplined, which with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-just-can-t-ever-be-a-free-spirit-and-just-relax-when-it-comes-to/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Even if you've sworn to yourself never to read vampire fiction again, do yourself the favor of reading Motherless Child. Glen Hirshberg has crafted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-golden/even-if-you-ve-sworn-to-yourself-never-to-read-vampire-fiction-again/)

[Christopher Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-golden/)

> [It is so inspiring to see a new group coming together not to focus on a particular war or weapons system, but on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/it-is-so-inspiring-to-see-a-new-group-coming-together-not-to-focus-on/)

[Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/)

> [I'm a planner, and most networks don't plan. Bravo doesn't plan. Bravo is lucky in a lot of ways - they've got a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-stanger/i-m-a-planner-and-most-networks-don-t-plan-bravo-doesn-t-plan-bravo/)

[Patti Stanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-stanger/)

> [The more hideous the mental contortions, the greater the delight and bravos of the mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-more-hideous-the-mental-contortions-the-greater-the-delight-and/)

[Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/)

> [Back in the late '90s, I put together a humorous newsmagazine program called 'The Awful Truth' for Bravo. We helped one guy get an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/back-in-the-late-90s-i-put-together-a-humorous-newsmagazine-program/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/)

[Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/)

## More by Ben Fountain

> [“The singing triggers a soft detonation at his core, molten parts of him are flying everywhere and his ears ring to the tune of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/the-singing-triggers-a-soft-detonation-at-his-core-molten-parts-of/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“Even harder was describing his sense that Shroom’s death might have ruined him for anything else, because when he died? when I felt his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/even-harder-was-describing-his-sense-that-shroom-s-death-might-have/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to-it-he-s-come-to-believe-that/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“But I am scared. Everybody's scared." "You know what I mean, like scared scared. Like coward scared, like if you never went to begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/but-i-am-scared-everybody-s-scared-you-know-what-i-mean-like-scared/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“God knows the war sucks, but he sees no great appeal in these tepid peacetime lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/god-knows-the-war-sucks-but-he-sees-no-great-appeal-in-these-tepid/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“What he'd like to say is that he's lived it, if not the entire breadth and depth of the Christian faith then certainly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/what-he-d-like-to-say-is-that-he-s-lived-it-if-not-the-entire-breadth/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [By the end of the first decade of writing, I considered myself a confirmed failure in the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/by-the-end-of-the-first-decade-of-writing-i-considered-myself-a/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [I started publishing stories in small magazines early on, but after seven or eight or nine years you feel like you need a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-started-publishing-stories-in-small-magazines-early-on-but-after/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“I think sometimes nothing is better than something. I mean, I’d rather have nothing than let this guy use me like his bitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-think-sometimes-nothing-is-better-than-something-i-mean-i-d-rather/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“No it was my choice. It's what I wanted to do. And I knew they'd probably send me to Iraq. It's not like anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/no-it-was-my-choice-it-s-what-i-wanted-to-do-and-i-knew-they-d/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [It's amazing what happens when you stick yourself in a place and let things take their more or less natural course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/it-s-amazing-what-happens-when-you-stick-yourself-in-a-place-and-let/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“As if sorrow is the true reality? Without ever putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is the standard trajectory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/as-if-sorrow-is-the-true-reality-without-ever-putting-his-mind-to-it/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [If you want to see a bunch of happy Americans, go out to opening day at any baseball stadium in the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-you-want-to-see-a-bunch-of-happy-americans-go-out-to-opening-day/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [There was no such thing as perfection in this world, only moments of such extreme transparency that you forgot yourself, a holy mercy if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/there-was-no-such-thing-as-perfection-in-this-world-only-moments-of/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

> [“He decides he wants both more and less. He’d like to hang out with Beyonce in a nice way, get to know her by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/he-decides-he-wants-both-more-and-less-he-d-like-to-hang-out-with/)

[Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

[Explore all 127 Ben Fountain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/)

## More Blood pressure quotes

> [“We develop ulcers, high blood pressure, headaches, and other physical problems in part because our stress systems aren’t designed to handle the “dangers” of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-berkun/we-develop-ulcers-high-blood-pressure-headaches-and-other-physical/)

[Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-berkun/)

> [ “Japanese researchers at Chiba University found that a daily fifteen minute walk in the woods caused significant decreases in cortisol \[a stress hormone\], along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/japanese-researchers-at-chiba-university-found-that-a-daily-fifteen/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“To wish bad things for someone else, is like looking for high blood pressure. Because strong people fall, but stand up again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fasela-oosterwolde/to-wish-bad-things-for-someone-else-is-like-looking-for-high-blood/)

Fasela Oosterwolde

> [As you age, your blood pressure tends to get higher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/as-you-age-your-blood-pressure-tends-to-get-higher/)

[Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/)

> [My plant-based diet plus fish is to credit for my low blood pressure, high energy, and robust immunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/my-plant-based-diet-plus-fish-is-to-credit-for-my-low-blood-pressure/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Myocardial oxygen consumption is determined by the work of the heart and is a function of arterial blood pressure and heart rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-black/myocardial-oxygen-consumption-is-determined-by-the-work-of-the-heart/)

[James Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-black/)

> [If you don't know your blood pressure, it's like not knowing the value of your company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/if-you-don-t-know-your-blood-pressure-it-s-like-not-knowing-the-value/)

[Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/)

> [“I cannot pretend he escaped unscathed. The extended period of low blood pressure damaged an optic nerve and left him essentially blind in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-cannot-pretend-he-escaped-unscathed-the-extended-period-of-low/)

[Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/)

> [ “\[Love Wasn’t as They Said\] Love wasn’t as they said… It didn’t last forever as they claimed… It is fleeting moments only recognized By… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-yako/love-wasn-t-as-they-said-love-wasn-t-as-they-said-it-didn-t-last/)

[Louis Yako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-yako/)

> [“Louise Hawkley, of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, calculates that loneliness raises blood pressure to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-johnson/louise-hawkley-of-the-center-for-cognitive-and-social-neuroscience-at/)

[Sue Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-johnson/)

> [Perhaps it is a testament to the power of modern marketing savvy that an obese man with heart disease and high blood pressure became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-colin-campbell/perhaps-it-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-modern-marketing-savvy-that/)

[T. Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-colin-campbell/)

> [“Smart people in white coats have extensively studied commuting—this supposedly necessary part of our days—and the verdict is in: long commutes make you fat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/smart-people-in-white-coats-have-extensively-studied-commuting-this/)

[Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/)

> [Your emotions are meant to fluctuate, just like your blood pressure is meant to fluctuate. It's a system that's supposed to move back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gilbert/your-emotions-are-meant-to-fluctuate-just-like-your-blood-pressure-is/)

[Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/)

> [“The most important and most easily measured would be waist circumference. But other factors include small, dense LDL (or a high apoB or LDL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-taubes/the-most-important-and-most-easily-measured-would-be-waist/)

[Gary Taubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-taubes/)

> [Holding old grudges, being bitter and fueling constant anger create an inner turmoil that chains you to reliving past hurts. Do you really enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/holding-old-grudges-being-bitter-and-fueling-constant-anger-create-an/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

Browse all 291 Blood pressure quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you couldn't do much better than this, but lucky for Norm, the crowd, America, the forty-million-plus TV viewing audience, Bravos can deal, oh yes! Pupils dilated, pulse and blood pressure through the roof, limbs trembling with stress-reflex cortisol rush, but it's cool, it's good, their shit's down tight, no Vietnam-vet crackups for Bravo squad! You can march these boys straight into sound-and-light show hell and Bravos can deal, but damn, isn't it rude to put them through it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Fountain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-for-ptsd-you-couldn-t-do-much/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blood pressure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-for-ptsd-you-couldn-t-do-much/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/ben-fountain-3198_blood-pressure_if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-f_2664813.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If ever there was a prime-time trigger for PTSD you couldn't do much better than this, but lucky for Norm…” — Ben Fountain",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ben Fountain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If ever there was a prime-time...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-for-ptsd-you-couldn-t-do-much/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/if-ever-there-was-a-prime-time-trigger-for-ptsd-you-couldn-t-do-much/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
