In a way it makes me think of the racial tensions I'm familiar with from being Native. White Americans get defensive about the fact that their ancestors essentially invaded and stole the land, but they don't like to feel guilty. So they try to justify it to themselves, and one of their methods is to dismiss the actual Natives as unworthy or incapable, uncivilised degenerates who were better off for being colonised and having their culture almost entirely destroyed. Now along come the Skaikru who don't entirely have many other viable options, but they still feel defensive, and the cycle starts again.