Agreed, with the exception that only you feel the sting of insincerity - as others have said, it is all highly personal. Recall, I do wear a helmet; I've passed through the fire.

However, one should get the sense that a thing is doing some good, that it fulfills it's purpose. This little plastic and foam shell we claim is so much safer is more of an affectation, a nod towards our sense of propriety and pious moralizing on behalf of others.

In the end, millions of miles will be logged by millions of riders - with or without helmets - and nothing will come of it. Those who wear them will do so because they either feel safer, or someone told them they would be. Very few will have actual data or experience to prove the helmet prevented anything from happening to them. Even then, the lions share of their backing information will be hyperbole ("Without the helmet I would have died!"), or based on some study and/or conclusions that resonate with them.

The cycling helmet, itself, is simply overrated in its effectiveness.