Your premise of a hive mind killing us all is just as valid as a hive mind being joyful at finding us weirdo individual minds.
I wouldn’t want to bet on anything being kind and generous, I think things like the active SETI program was/is foolish and dangerous.
“But one problem we, westerners that is, have is projecting our own values and belief system onto others who may not share them.”
But it seems to me to that to use the whole ‘when any society that comes into contact with less developed/powerful society the less developed loses’ truism is human-centric. It could very well apply to all sophonts. But we don’t know for sure. I don’t think it is even true for much of this world, at least any more. But it definitely seemed to be at one time.
Freegards
True, the premise is human centric but that is all we have to go on. At the present time anyway.
But it is fun to discuss from time to time.
It’s been fun!