Here we are again, most if not all of us white people, saying that we know better than black people how they should be protesting issues that directly affect them and not us. I keep saying it: There appears to be no acceptable way for them to protest unless it's easily ignorable for the majority. Kick It Out is exactly that; a bare whisper in the background, a poster on the FA wall, but doing nothing to challenge the majority and have them think remotely deeply about racism.
On a positive note, Gareth Southgate, whoever he is, wrote a piece in the Player's Tribune on representing England, and on the changing nature of "Englishness" and I think it's rather excellent. Doesn't specifically mention taking the knee or booing, but is no less powerful for it. Shame he can't manage for shit.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-england-gareth-southgate-euros-soccer
I agree with this. I do think that a lot of the booing comes from a defensive mindset though. It's not simply that they don't agree with the BLM movement, or think it isn't useful, there is an element of them being threatened, rightly or (mostly) wrongly by it.
Surely a big factor is whether BLM is a statement or a political movement. I'd say most see it as a statement (as I do). In this light it's really hard to sympathise with booing - there would have to be a racist and at best ignorant motive to do so.
There are those that have really pushed this to be a political movement however. This is where the fractions occur, helped in no small way by the daily mail's of this world. You will always get extremists in any ideology/movement etc. Unfortunately it only takes one person to say 'make all white people slaves' for it to get picked up and blown up in the media.
If BLM really put a focus on statement and distanced itself from political movement I think more people would welcome it. You can still force change with a strong and lasting statement too.
This is obviously coming from a white person's perspective, so I know I am not the best person to chip in with an opinion.
Something i am more qualified to talk about is the idea of privilege. It needs to be understood on a deeper level than it currently is, as at the moment I see it causing a lot of friction. Unfortunately, as soon as a word, like privilege is used as a slur, it gets tarnished. We now think of a privileged person as someone who mummy and daddy fund with houses and sports cars - being called privilege then feels like an attack.
In its true meaning, privilege is nothing to be ashamed of, it is simply an absence of inconvenience (not my words, but I love the expression). We are all privileged in many ways, no matter the colour of our skin. We will never realise the privilege of eyesight until it's gone. Only then do you know how much our society inconveniences blind people.
Same with colour - as white people we'll never know the inconvenience caused by not being white - it's not apparent to us. It is there though, from seemingly small inconveniences such as wrong colour plasters to more serious problems like increased suspicion from authorities.
If BLM could be a statment to make people aware of white privilege without the mere use of the word threatening white people, I think it'd go far. Pipe dream though!