Thomas isn't being condescending (at least not intentionally) when he uses the term, "ordinary." He would also fall into "ordinary" under his own definition, as he's not in that industry.
His point is that, contrary to the narrative of the "little guy" getting screwed by Wall St, they are actually helped by the liquidity HFT market makers contribute.
Everyone is unsophisticated at something. It's not an insult.
All I see Wall St and Silicon Valley doing is using new found speed and scale for their own benefit while concocting self deluding narratives about how this benefits everyone. Nothing extraordinary about that.