On the one hand, it does seem clear that, as is often the case, initial research and observation was flawed and incomplete, and parts of it got taken up into the general cultural consciousness where it was then hard to correct or modify them.
On the other hand, many of the people eager to remind everyone of this seem to have ulterior motives. It is either stated or heavily implied that this correction to the original research means instinctive hierarchies aren't a thing, in either animals or humans, which is absurd.
Humans need, intuit, and automatically fall into social hierarchies based on power. Power comes from a complex variety of sources: looks, money, family, physical fitness, intelligence and so on. People respond to power, on an instinctive level. This response can (and should) be tempered to some degree, as should all instincts, but it can't be engineered away.
Thus, the concept of "The Alpha" is true in the sense that people understand and respond to power. They also understand and respond to compassion, duty, and a number of other factors, but social hierarchies based on power are a core part of human psychology, and always will be.
Now, does all this justify people being "jerks?" Depends on what you mean by "jerk." On the one hand, the cultural zeitgeist of the moment is almost certainly too far on the side of allowing and accepting people to be soft and weak. On the other hand, you have to be careful how you define "Power." Being overly egotistical, narcissistic and violent, not having control of yourself, not having proper patience etc are also forms of weakness. As with most things in life, excellence is a matter of finding the perfect point of balance.