I know it is annoying and frustrating to be accused of being a racist. Centrajapan is kind of his style to be aggressive and caster51 is just too influent in English to get his point across. But I do think that those who make anti-whaling arguments based on anything other than pure scientific issues can be well PERCEIVED prejudicial and racist in the eye of those who do like to whale, and you should be well aware of that fact when making such arguments. Just saying that you don't intend any racism does not free you from the guilt. Like sexual harrassment, racism is often totally unrealized by those who offend.
To the eyes of Japanese, Australians do seem to have double standard about whaling which can easily be perceived as (at least partially) based on racism. It implies intolerance, targeting specific cultures based on a standard that you don't apply to your own. For example, anyone cares to answer this?
I fail to see what the fundamental difference is between hunting millions of wild kangaroos (commercially) and hunting whales in a sustainable way. Both are mammals (seems that matters to some people, I don't know why), both are wild, both are eaten and other parts used effectively, both are adorable creatures to many people (if you poll Japanese kids for popularity, I bet kangaroos would win 9 to 1), both are valuable as tourist attraction, and the list goes on.
Could someone present a convincing argument that would justify one type of hunting over another? If you say you oppose both, I think that's an opinion that I can respect.