the Vikings shouldn’t be idolized too much,

Nobody should be idolised, tbh.

they were effectively pirates who produced little themselves and mostly just invaded and took from others

That's mostly media portrayal. Most Vikings were traders and farmers. You also have to consider in what kind of conditions they lived, Scandinavia is harsh and it's very hard to grow things there.

piracy

The word "pirate" doesn't always have negative connotations, like in the golden age of piracy and modern times where pirates are those who download and share digital media and files, so I don't understand your use of pirate as an insult. Invaders, pillagers, plunderers, conquerors, these would all be apt labels.