I couldn't agree with you more. I believe it is mostly newcomers or those who don't get the whole idea of Bitcoin and decentralized movements. I don't believe in Ripple and I never will. I keep telling people around me to be careful about it to. I think Ripple is a project to stop/slow-down decentralized projects and continue to control people with semi-decentralized projects which are presented as decentralized on media. It won't work out. Banks might continue to adopt Ripple. As a Bitcoin enthusiast, I don't think there will be any banks in a few decades.
Yes, because it makes more sense to trust someone you know nothing about, and a currency based on wishful thinking. Put a wish in one hand, crap in the other, see which one fills up first.