I see what you're saying, but I don't perceive a meaningful difference between those two classes beyond, perhaps, what's in the investor's head.

In both cases you're investing money in a company because you think the value of that company is likely to rise in the future. And in both cases the company benefits from that investment.

I agree that many investors are too focused on the short-term... but if they think they can make more money by selling a stock and reinvesting elsewhere rather than holding onto it for years, can you really blame them? The whole point of investing is to make a return on your principal.