The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not.

Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

-Isaiah 3:9.  Somehow I never noticed before that at least in this one scriptural passage, the cult of authenticity was the sin of Sodom.

Here’s Bruce Charlton:

there are lots of bad things in life which will only be done (by most people) if and when people [can] talk about them afterwards.

Most people are not content to sin in secret.

How many people would go bungee jumping if it was secret, and they could not tell anybody about it afterwards ever, nor show pictures and movies? How many people would get drunk? How many would have sexual affairs if they could not brag or weep about them with their pals?

A lot fewer than actually do these things now.