Yes, and it's for this reason that adding a type system will to it will alienate a lot of its users. You can say "optional" or "gradual" as much as you like but adding types will split the community which is the last thing Ruby needs right now. The trouble with tech is we just can't let something be and stop fiddling with it. Ruby is fine just as it is.
1) readable (somewhat english-like syntax) 2) terse (short and to the point, no extra setup code needed) 3) meta-programming/DSLs
It still remains unbeatable for readability and terseness..