Nobody is arguing that you should feel sorry for short-sellers. It's just a mildly interesting fact, although it's less meaningful than implied in the article, because Tesla is also one of the most-heavily traded companies on the market.
A lot of "index fund" folks criticize shorting and other "gambling" tactics, but it's probably worth noting that the argument for the soundness of index funds hinges on there being a class of traders who identify bad businesses and try to drive their price down. Otherwise, you're just pumping money into a snapshot of the market with no regard for the health of the constituent businesses, and it eventually ends in tears.
A lot of "index fund" folks criticize shorting and other "gambling" tactics, but it's probably worth noting that the argument for the soundness of index funds hinges on there being a class of traders who identify bad businesses and try to drive their price down. Otherwise, you're just pumping money into a snapshot of the market with no regard for the health of the constituent businesses, and it eventually ends in tears.