[VRay]

If there are space aliens hanging around, they likely wouldn't contact us

Just seeing them would give us a huge technological leg up. Right now we don't know that interstellar travel is readily feasible, but if we did know that then it would suddenly make sense to spend 100 times as much on space tech

Considering what a bunch of jerks we are to each other, I don't think aliens would want us roaming around freely

[xcasperx]

Yeah, there's really no reason for them too. If they are able to do interstellar travel, resource harvesting (from asteroids, comets, moons, planets, and suns) is relatively simple.

The thing is, I don't think it'd matter technologically. I don't think a kardashev 1 civilization could ever catch up to a kardashev 2 civilization.

Maybe once they've reached a "technological plateau" it becomes mutually assured destruction? But instead of nukes, it's targeted gamma-ray bursts? Who knows...