Singapore has a reputation of being a clean city. In 1992 Singapore banned chewing gum to keep people from sticking it in public places and making a mess with it. On smh.com, it states that one of the main reasons for the ban of chewing gum in Singapore was because people would stick it in the doors causing the doors to get stuck. This would then cause delays in the subway transportation. In 2004 they changed the ban on chewing gum by allowing someone to chew gum if they had a prescription to do so (McIntyre). Since chewing gum is banned in Singapore, someone who decides to chew gum would be considered deviant in Singapore. As stated on wisegeek.com, the penalties on chewing gum are similar to the penalties on littering in Singapore: the first time you are caught it could cost someone between $500 and $1,000 U.S. dollars. Repeat offenders could get a fine of up to $ 2,000 U.S. dollars.
In the United States chewing gum is not considered deviant behavior. When I was in middle school, the school made a rule that chewing gum would not be allowed in school because they did not want students sticking gum to seats and desks. If you were caught chewing gum, the worst that would happen to you was you would be asked to spit it out in the garbage. Although places like schools may make rules against chewing gum, it is not a punishable rule in the United States like it is in Singapore.
