A majority of the community gathers at xrptalk.org or in group chats over Skype. Few visit this site.

At the moment xrptalk.org has 90 users online, of which 31 are registered users. I have seen total active users frequently surpass 100, as of late. In my experience, Ripple has a passionate core community of active participants in the ecosystem---traders, coders, and those attempting to establish businesses using the Ripple network---with a broad spread of nationalities and backgrounds represented. I learn a lot through the community.

In my experience, it is much less of a hype oriented culture. I think that has been a side effect of how depressed the price has been for so long; I kind of see that as an advantage now. In general, those that have stuck around through all of the uncertainty have passionate interest in Ripple. A lot of diverse perspectives are exchanged, and critical perspectives on Ripple/XRP/Ripple Labs are frequently and openly shared.

At various points in the past, I would have definitely agreed with your perspective, but it has become an increasingly lively ecosystem. It is worth checking out.