Flossing Notes
for Interview Movie

Gary Roma, film maker,  interviewing Diane Nahl and Leon James on the University of Hawaii campus, November 6, 2000.

1. The Overall Context of Flossing in our Society

1. The socio-political context
2. The psychological context
3. The spiritual context
4. The operational context

1. The Socio-political Context of Flossing

1. The politics of body parts and odors

1. legal issues (laws, regulations)
2. moral issues (character, health, neglect)
3. norms and expectations (personal, privacy)
4. inside vs. outside (definition, differential treatment)
5. body parts relevant in flossing and each carrying its own norms and differential treatment:

1. mouth (odor, looks, taboos about opening wide, roof, inside cheeks, sores, lips)
2. teeth (various)
3. tongue (brushing on top, brushing underneath, use for cleaning teeth all day and examining mouth)
4. nasal and throat cavity (cleaning by injecting fluid, cutting excess hair, gargling)

1. The Psychological Context of Flossing

1. Resistance to flossing and overcoming it through discipline training
2. Guilt and fear about skipping and repeated pious resolutions
3. Self-efficacy feelings when flossing regularly
4. Sensory awareness of teeth and their state (monitoring color, using tongue to probe)
5. Sensory awareness of one's own breath (monitoring it, wondering about it, asking someone)
6. Sensory awareness of other people's breath (conscious monitoring and evaluation, awareness of one's reactions)
7. Lying about flossing and fear of disapproval
8. Denial about negative consequences of not flossing (medical--yellowing and cavities, interpersonal--bad breath and unclean, spiritual--neglect and slothfulness

1. The Spiritual Context of Flossing

1. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and self-neglect is sinful, evil, damning
2. Physical cleansing is a correspondence to spiritual purification, and vice versa
3. Desire to be good and pleasant to others, thus protecting them from bad breath and unsightliness
4. Being proud of not flossing (rebellion) and seeing it as an issue of freedom instead of voluntary self-compulsion
5. Avoiding being a hypocrite ("Cleanse the inside of the cup and platter that the outside may also be clean")
6. One's biographical details about flossing recapitulates the history of humankind in relation to becoming civilized
7. Overcoming resistance to flossing represents overcoming hell in oneself--redemption and salvation
8. The motive for flossing represents the spiritual growth of the mind:

1. Obedience to authority (most external level--flossing not yet a spiritual act)
2. Desire to acquire discipline of character (intermediate level--flossing is a moral issue)
3. Cleanliness and care for oneself is angelic and Godly, neglect of self is evil (inmost level--flossing is a salvation issue)

1. The Operational Context of Flossing

1. Monitoring the level of effort exerted during flossing:

1. superficial or hurried vs. thorough and slow
2. effective scraping vs. ineffective motion
3. errorless and orderly vs. unsystematic and inattentive

1. Type of floss (tape vs. cord, waxed or not, thickness, material)
2. Length of floss and manner of holding
3. Gum bleeding and soreness
4. Other flossing issues:

1. water (running or shutting off; cold vs. hot)
2. using mirror or blind
3. two lengths and rinsing in between or one length and no rinsing
4. procedures fixed or variable
5. mindful flossing or wandering mind
6. enjoying it or hating it
7. feeling stress doing it or feeling liberated
8. manner of disposal of used floss
9. integrating flossing with connected tasks

--brushing teeth and tongue

--flushing nasal passages

--using additional products (whitener, baking soda)

10. mnemonic methods used in reminders (frequency, sincerity, effectiveness)
11. types of excuses for postponing or forgetting to floss

1. Ancillary issues

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