In 1929 a series of events took place, and some of it took a while to happen (like Ford shutting down for a few months) that pretty much (not completely) eliminated retail accounts from both the stock market and actually from banking. Much of the public swore off checking and savings accounts, never mind owning stocks.

It seems like the big money is changing its clothes to pose as children in order to get priority on the life boats ("Women and children first!").

The social circle of firms closely connected to this ruin of Robinhood and which had been short GME are the speculators. Short for longer than intraday == speculative. Short as a market maker for an hour or two is good for efficient clearing.

It's on the guys with the big money to gather their fortitude and ride this out in the most-trust-inducing ways they can. I think the big money is naive if they think it could be otherwise.

One more thing, I am reminded that a lot of the time, a retail investor will buy something, a weak stock, and ride it down to zero out of misguided optimism. Conducting margin calls on zero notice is going to be toxic to such people and I don't think the finance world really wants that money to leave the market for good.