Regarding the $GME phenomenon. I think there's the huge metatextual component to the chosen stock being Gamestop too that appears to be getting ignored. There's nostalgia there, for sure, but not just around a beloved high-street retailer for the gamers...

They've been a meme for *decades*. There's nostalgia for the early 4chan collective action of ringing them up and asking about Battletoads. I wouldn't be surprised if the folks who did that as teens are now those 'holding the line' on the short squeeze.

While it's easy to get the red twine out and speculate about foreign interference and influence ops, one cannot underestimate how nostalgia for early collective action and memetics can drive a similar action today.

The past year is one where folks "from the Internet" have been able to return to a certain extent. The ability to learn about stonks, how to leverage a collective hand, and genuinely improve one's life for the better (pets and people have been saved!) can't be overlooked...

...in favour of elaborate plots. As with anything hitting a disruptive critical mass there are sure to be some trying to nudge the marble in a certain direction, but we can't ignore that making Wall Street cry using Gamestop is the new calling Gamestop and asking for Battletoads.