The thing is: not only can paper money be inflated, as you suggest, but it also gets replaced by something else. All currencies die at some stage and become valueless.
Yes, gold gets used for different things over the years and it's value varies in whatever currency you might want to value it in. But gold will always be gold (despite the value attributed it varying).
There is an aspect of gold that transcends being valued in the currency of the day. So to say that gold is "valued and devalued with speculation" alone is not the whole picture of gold. And is not the whole reason that the price of gold is rising.
People are obviously worried that one of more currencies are at their death knell and want something that will transcend such a period.
