Is shorting an option?
Most people are more familiar with buying puts or selling call options are superficially similar - you make money if the price goes down.
Options give the holder the right to buy/sell a share at a specific price before a specific date. They expire worthless after that date.
Shorts are immediately borrowing shares - not just the right to buy/sell shares. They do not generally expire, although they do have interest.
GP said " if they shorted the market." which is a bit ambiguous, it sounds like they are talking about a literal short, but in this context they likely mean either.
tl;dr - no they're different
You're definitely going to pay for the risk one way or another.
Buying either cash-secured Puts or Calls are not subject to margin-calls like shorts/long shares are.
So if the price goes up too high before it comes crashing down, your broker might force you to liquidate your position, leaving you with max loses, and no profit from the following crash.
Because puts or calls do not rely on margin and you get to choose if you execute them, so they are more resistant to massive spikes in either direction.
tldr - Purchased options are not subject to margin calls like shorts
edit: removed mentions of selling options and IV - they're too complex for this quick explanation