In Minnesota, it is against the law to hang male and female underwear together on the same washing line.

So what?

So both are ridiculous laws that have no place in modern society.

That said, I thought Singapore has repealed the chewing-gum ban already.

My point was more that you cannot judge a country based on 1 law.

And also, what's the big deal of banning chewing gum? :)

The big deal of banning chewing gum is that it betrays a ridiculously authoritarian, controlling government. Any government concerned about such matters is obviously abusively intrusive on every level of citizen life: "The government maintained virtually unlimited powers to detain suspects without charge or judicial review, using the Internal Security Act and the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act. These laws have been used to incarcerate outspoken activists for prolonged periods without trial, as well as criminal suspects who should be charged under the penal code. In dealing with terrorism suspects, the government should use the criminal code to prosecute in accordance with international due process standards, Human Rights Watch said." http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/23/singapore-stop-hiding-beh...

Of course you can judge a country based on one law. Would you enter a country that had a law stating that if your first name was jason that they had the right to execute you? Singapore has shown it has been willing to enforce caning people over graffiti, so obviously laws have consequences. If some customs official doesnt like the way I look, he can throw a dime bag of weed in my suitcase on entrance to the country and have my life ended. So yeah, laws have life and death consequences.

Read up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore