He WallStreetBets subreddit has helped drive $ 383, 000 in donations to a gorilla conservation organization this week. The previous sentence it would have been barely intelligible, even barely last Decemberand yet here we are.
For quickly recapitulation: In January, people on the r / WallStreetBets subreddit captured headlines to buy shares of GameStop shares, as well as other memoryless firms like AMC Theaters. Several hedge funds had secured a short on GameStop, based on the price of their shares submerging, which would allow them, perversely, to make money. The increase in Redditors that Gamestop buys and others who wanted the investor frenzy however, it caused stock prices to skyrocket, causing hedge funds to restrict the company while allowing for some RedditoRS and individual investors to become very rich. (Some every day people were too the left very twisted.)
The people at WallStreetBets have long referred to themselves as “apes,” it’s kind of inner joke based on Harambe ‘s memeification, the gorilla who was shot dead in 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell on his premises. They have always been a little committed and have been making efforts to save other apes.
Many have donated to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, an international charity dedicated to funding conservation, protection, and study of gorillas in Africa. The organization usually receives 20 donations in an average weekend of people who want to symbolically adopt gorillas, but since this past Saturday he said so has been received thousands of adoption donations in total more than $ 383,000. Many of the adoptions were made using fake names made to overshadow hedgefund managers: A fil al subreddit called “This MFer is probably richer than me right now” shows certificates made to “The Tears of Jim Cramer and Fuck Melvin Capital. Yes, that’s not it systemic change we have to save the endangered species but it is a bit narrow considering the gorillas they are in decline due to habitat degradation by industry, poaching, industry, i climate change.
It was something as big for the charity as its president and CEO Tara Stoinski (rather like Stonksy, right?) has recorded a video message specifically for Redditors. The group also called them on their website by adding the hashtag #ApesTogetherStrong and making a merch limited edition line with the symbols of diamond hands. The slogan slows down from meme based on the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but members of WallStreetBets often describe their collective action to trick rich coverage funders.
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WallStreetBets revenueRS has also been donating to other animal welfare organizations. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust saw one Spike of $ 10,000 inside donations last weekend, including the adoption of an orphaned elephant from Kenya. Members have also sent money to the Orangutan Project i others charities.
“I love this shit community,” one WallStreetBets user he wrote. “I mean, honestly, can you ever imagine that somewhere on Wall Street or in Chicago they even have a little snippet of a post-it devoted to something other than their fucking money?”