Oomis,
I must say that I do not agree with that as a reason to be give preference to non-jews.
It is important for a person to have common decency and express thanks to anyone who helps or serves them, but one should not be preferred over the other. There is no logic in that.
I believe it is at least as damaging if one gives preference to non-jews. Non-jews will say even other jews prefer us, there must be something right in our demeaning Jews.
It is the same with commenters saying Jews are cheaters, leaches, dishonest etc, that so many alleged jewish commenters spout on blogs. If jews say that about themselves, you do not think non-jews feel vindicated in having their antisemitic stereotypical views?
When a jew voiciferously supports the building of mosques regardless of the circumstances yet will never support a yeshiva or a shul trying to build do you not think that impacts negatively how the non-jews look at our right to build shuls and yeshivos?
And that is before we discuss the negative impact such an attitude has had historically going back to the misyavenim and all the participants at seudas acheshveirosh. And how such an attitude did not help in the least and may even have contributed to the tragedy in Europe.
To sum it up, the disprespect of yidden for others acting as yidden is much more dangerous to the well being of Jews and there is no reason why a non-jew deserves respect more than a Jew.