You guys are making it sound like shorting is guaranteed money...

You guys are making it sound like shorting is guaranteed money at the expense of long holders. It's not. In fact when shorters get it wrong they can lose far, far more than a long holder and their efforts to undo the damage can boost the price considerably. Suggesting that shorters don't have skin in the game really isn't accurate. Their risk is greater than any long term holder's.

Shorting only works when market sentiment is such that people are relatively willing to sell. Nobody forces holders to sell.