> which is divorced from reality in general.

It's not exactly divorced from reality. You can synthetically create the very same position. While it sounds like what they're doing is attacking markets and economy, that's just not the case. Unless they made both the options and derivatives markets illegal and also made borrowing and lending stock shares illegal, shorting the security is a position that can easily be created. It was organically discovered at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange within like a couple years after it was founded. The exchange didn't invent it and start offering it either. The traders simply realized that if they could borrow/lend and buy/sell, then they can take an inverse position.