I agree...but we are still out there. I think one of the problems is that "hacking" / "hacker" has become a synonym for "programmer" / "software engineer".
But there are still real hackers out there; like people that sell 0days just to eat and buy new fancy toys and such.
Putting aside the security aspect, I think that the terms hacker and programmer as still disparate. They're separated by structure.
If you still through and design something you're programming - putting a fair amount of thought and structure in it before you hit the editor. Just coding and coding is probably closer to hacking to me - it's a messy art but capable of brilliance.
On the security side of things there seems to be a split between 'white hat' security professionals which includes a few blowhards by all accounts, and 'black hats' who have changed from just mischief to working for nefarious types for money. Supposedly there are still quite a few 'grey hats' who are just about playing around and finding out interesting new things while ignoring the black and white side of things.
But there are still real hackers out there; like people that sell 0days just to eat and buy new fancy toys and such.