A simple counter-argument: Why is Smalltalk (an archetypal 'dynamic' language) so darned easy to work with, and (very importantly) get right? Is it coincidenc

A simple counter-argument: Why is Smalltalk (an archetypal 'dynamic' language) so darned easy to work with, and (very importantly) get right? Is it coincidence that much research in modern programming languages and concepts is being conducted using Smalltalk-like environments? (Examples: http://scg.unibe.ch/research/helvetia http://scg.unibe.ch/research/helvetia, http://www.viewpointsresearch.org/ http://www.viewpointsresearch.org/)