Economics is called the dismal science for a good reason. If we gave up meat or any other resource, the price of said commodity would indeed drop - temporarily. Once the farmers understood that their market had disappeared, they would liquidate their herds. After that, meat ( or whatever the dismissed commodity was ) would go up in price and continue to exclude consumption by the poor and starving. Farmers are not evil - their work is unglamorous and difficult and they deserve to make a living. We have no shortage of chicken wings and steak. The only shortage is the lack of money by consumers who happen to live in badly managed countries that ruin attempts at prosperity. Much the same is true of any other resource. Put plainly, it isn't because we are rich, it's because they are poor and giving up this or that won't make any difference, as no one is going to go broke supplying people who are too poor to pay. We have laboratory 'meat'. It's called "Quorn" at your local supermarket and while tasty, it costs more than meat. I've tried to interest people in it - no go. As to Japan, beyond the tidy exterior, some horrifying inefficiences exist. Consumers are forced by taxes and fees to get rid of perfectly good cars every 3 - 4 years to support employment there. The idea of owning a 'classic' car is almost impossible. They would crate up good quality low mileage engines and ship them to the US for reuse here - a huge waste of money and energy selling this stuff off when it is nowhere near worn out. I have no idea why they haven't developed mass electric cars especially since so many only go short distances in urban areas. I also don't know why Matsushita has two patents for magnesium and aluminum batteries and we never hear about any development. Japan protects farmers and small shop owners from foreign competition. Restaurants can be breathtakingly expensive, their mortgages can be multigenerational, and their homes and apartments are often a rabbit-warren existence that Americans would not tolerate. They have a net population loss and will breed themselves out of existence if they're not careful - although the prize for that folly will likely go to Russians first. I love their cuisine but wouldn't care to live there. Oh, and 'social problems'? Our comic books feature 'Batman' and 'Wolverine'. They seem to like "Rapeman". It's a very different culture.
