WallStreetBets users who won big on GameStop stocks are using their profits to adopt gorillas, apes, and other endangered animals.
WallStreetBets, the Reddit group at the centre of the GameStop controversy, have started adopting various kinds of endangered animals with their recent winnings. Which is pretty awesome, no matter what you think about the rest of the whole situation.
If you aren’t aware of said situation, it essentially boils down to this: a Reddit forum managed to successfully manipulate the stock market through a combination of memes and online comradery. Some of these online investors managed to make serious bank, and are now enjoying a newfound level of fame and success.
In an attempt to demonstrate they haven’t forgotten where they came from, some of the WallStreetBets winners have started donating to charity. Not just any charity mind you, and certainly not without a good measure of internet humour thrown in.
Where and why are they donating?
So far there are reports that WallStreetBets members have donated money towards the care of gorillas, bonobos, a sloth, rhinos, and even elephants. The majority of donations have been to foundations that focus on primates, including Ape Initiative and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
It all comes down to the slogan “apes strong together”: a popular phrase on the WallStreetBets subreddit. The slogan refers to an ongoing joke that WallStreetBets members are as dumb as apes. However, considering their recent success, and the actual intelligence of many primates, there is an intended irony about the whole thing.
Wow! We are overwhelmed by the support we are seeing from @Official_WSB and people from around the world! We have raised $77k already today! Thank you all! ❤️🦍❤️ pic.twitter.com/kCLQrLOEeY
— Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (@SavingGorillas) March 14, 2021
The phrase itself is actually a quote from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which relates to solidarity forming amongst the apes as they prepare for a revolution against their captors. There is definitely a metaphor at play here, and it gives an insight into how many WallStreetBets users see themselves: as revolutionaries who are standing up against their oppressors.
It also goes a long way to explaining why the group has swelled in popularity since the whole Gamestonk fiasco: everyone wants a piece of the action, but also the revolution.
