The GameStop guys believe the market is a casino, that stock traders are speculators who do not provide (3), and that purely gaming the system is how they make their money. If we all believe that, nobody should invest in the stock market. Period.

It is actually illegal to engage in the pure pump-and-dump, in which you lie to fellow investors about undervalued stocks in order to make the profits when you drive up the price and sell.

What the GameStop guys are doing isn't illegal, because they're not lying: they admit GameStop isn't worth much, they're just in it for the LOLs and the screwing of the hedge fund guys. Which does make this funny, but also reinforces untruths about the market generally.

In other words, there is a reason #EatTheRich is trending. The motivating factor here isn't really hedge fund corruption -- if you're worried about bailouts, as I am, you should be telling the government to stop bailing out financial firms. It's pure dislike for hedge fund guys.

Some hedge fund guys are jackasses. Some aren't. But undermining confidence in the pricing mechanism of the market to make some quick cash and screw those guys isn't virtue (though again, it would take a heart of stone not to laugh).