Well, you have said it yourself, that recklessness is not pointless, they compete with other males to get some social status. The fact that the most idiots ranks higher in that said status is of course surprising, but a reality nonetheless.

Perhaps reckless men's behavior looks absurd when seen from modern societies perspective, but humankind has evolved and lived for the longest time as hunters-gatherers, and we'd have to take a look at what role played bravado-based male behaviors in those societies.