It’s like gateway drug of crimes. JK, It all goes back to litering, gum has lots of wrappers and the inedible gum itself. No gum helps build the SG culture of zero tolerance for crimes. If you teach children even the smallest of crimes have serious repercussions they will be less likely to commit future crimes. At least that’s the idea, it’s easier in a rich country where people have their basic needs fulfilled.
You can swallow gum. Not sure why that myth exists. It’ll pass whole and come out with the rest of your shit.
Sounds like it would teach them to fear and blindly trust authority. Which I’m sure sounds fine to them.
That’s definitely one way of viewing it. I’m definitely anti-authoritarian, but the city-state has the right to agree upon a strict set of rules and standards of behavior and to hold people accountable to uphold peace and order. It’s a trade-off for a life in a much more stable country compared to the US where there is always a risk of people infringing on public peace. Ranging from simple things like littering, obnoxiously loud music in public, to something more dramatic like robbery, or even getting caught in a mass shooting because some depressed guy in his early 20s bought a gun from walmart. Say what you will about their government structure but none of these things mentioned are an issue in Singapore.
