Sure, it wouldnt hurt if acceptance was higher, but those green candles rise much faster and much higher when there are speculations, than they do when acceptance spreads.
For the sake of all of us, with everything above, there needs to be less bad news (mt.gox, insta-wallet raid..and so on)
cheers
bitcoin will be hurt over the long term if it is involved in more speculative trading ventures. More speculation would probably lead to increased short term trading and TX activity, however this would set it back in terms of acceptance of the general public.
Over the long term the more bitcoin is accepted by merchants and the public the higher the price will be.
Speculation will not hurt bitcoin because it will naturally decrease over time.
Right now, any interest in bitcoin is better than nothing.
speculation would hurt BTC as it would delay merchants and consumers wanting to adapt bitcoin.
speculation decreases over time because it is more widely accepted by merchants and consumers.