Of course it is at the expense of retail. The profits from...

Of course it is at the expense of retail. The profits from shorting have to come from somebody else's pocket. In this the shorters set themselves up in a place of deliberately and consciously stealing candy from babies who do not know what is going on to the share price - and they see that as being a fair game and an easy way to increase their own wealth. There is no possible way the financial benefits come from anywhere else other than somebody else's losses, and almost by definition it will most likely be from those least able to afford it. There are plenty of less than complementary definitions for such behaviour, but playing Robin Hood for the sake of the 'market benefit' is not one of them.