Skipping this logic is inevitable that bitcoin was the first mover and it has the biggest network effect. It is a fact. Because of that at one point or another different altcoins would be compared or judged based on bitcoin.
Altcoins are not only good for short-term investments, but altcoins that have the potential to last long like BTC and have features according to the market demand would give a tough fight to bitcoin. For example, Ethereum used blockchain techology to come up with something that crypto community needed, smart contracts.
So in short, altcoins that are going to take blockchain technology to another level by giving what the market needs stands a chance against bitcoin.
That something that is gonna happen sooner or later and some alt will take more dominate role in this most are close to this like you mentioned Ethereum, look on what segwith done with Litecoin, so in matter of years we will more hear that some alt in that time made something new and good for good of us all.
Altcoin are not anymore what they used to be for quick earning they become something more and respectable.