Currently there are dozens of alternative coins. Some are just "copy&paste" coins, some do have a slight modification of the algorithm or some small extra features. However, in my opinion neither of these coins has a real advantage over bitcoin. Thus, why are you mining/investing your time into one of these altcoins?
pump&dump, easy money scamming newbies, the need to feel being an early adopter
I totally agree with you. For me its like playing with penny stocks. If you´re lucky you earn some money, but the likelihood you get scammed/ripped-off is very high. I expect (almost) all of these altcoins to be (almost) dead within a quite short period of time (maybe months or a year or two).