Without getting into a discussion over the term or usage of the word “hacker,” they can quite benevolent at times. Many just try to find vulnerabilities in systems or software for the challenge, then report the vulnerabilities and they wind up patched.
More annoying are the scans and script kids out there. When I was a sysadmin, it all drove me nuts. I had servers pretty locked down, but I live in a world where too many people are smarter or better than me at so many things.
Not really the place for that discussion, but I’ll add this. That guy didn’t throw me very far. If you look at the picture, I actually have more calf muscle than he does.