Dehumanization works because many of the popular cultures around the world treat non-humans terribly. As we're talking about the "cradle" of Western civilization, we're talking about pastoralists especially.
I'm not subtracting my own empathy towards those people by choosing to denounce their aggressors through harsh words. I'm throwing vitriole towards their aggressors.
I get this and this is part of the basis of satire, right?
But the more speech is focused on the dark side, the more our brains focus on the dark because that's how they work. Eg "Don't think of a bear," vs "think of a duck." But it's ultimately your writing to style as you'd like