It’s theft. Crazy thing is…technically it is legal for market makers to print shares in the name of liquidity. But it’s been so abused and manipulated.
This is the real kicker of the situation...I know The Citadel gets vilified, and I am one of the people that do believe they're shady as hell, but you can't expect to be able to buy shares of a security in unlimited fashion while also crying foul that synthetic shares are being printed.
That being said, have they abused the system for their own gain and/or self-preservation? No doubt, and that's what needs to change.
You should not be able to take out a reckless short position using excess margin on a family of securities, then use your MM status to help make sure those reckless short position don't sink you when the trade turns against you. Market Makers being market participants for the same securities is a problem. The idea that a stock trader can also control the price, to me, is a major flaw in the system that must be addressed.