I suppose, in the scenario you drew up for us, that the Johny myth does not require the townspeople to send 10% of their income to SETI, even at the expense of their retirement?
Suppose that in the Johny myth, the townspeople are in fact required to send 10% of their income to SETI. Recall, I did say that both bad and good happened in the town thanks to the myth.
The first question is, what does that have to do with Johny, the man? Perhaps Johny never said anything about SETI, or perhaps Johny wrote a note once that said he'd donated some money to SETI and thought that others should too. Or perhaps Johny wrote that people shouldn't give money to SETI (and the scrap was found and covered up). Either way, the modern doctrine is a social construct by the people of the town, and has little to nothing to do with Johny, the man.
But if so . . .
Even if so, Steve overestimates the supply side and underestimates the demand side -- the institution of UFO belief in the town, along with giving to SETI, is a complex matter that involves the entire town weighing in to some degree. To the extent it's a "lie" it's a community lie. Steve might pause a moment and consider whether it's his right to do an intervention on the town. Surely, he's not the first to put 2 and 2 together about Johny?
Further, to the extent that Steve meets the townspeople on their own grounds, he adds fuel to the myth-making engine, if that's what we're concerned about. Look at the logic that Steve foists upon the townspeople: There is no record that Johny ever claimed to meet the inhabitants of Varavara 8, and the first reference to Varavara 8 was discovered in the journal of Peter the milkman, as part of a novel he'd envisioned.
Shouldn't there be OTHER, MORE IMPORTANT REASONS to disbelieve in Varavara 8? If people are doubting Varavara 8 because suddenly, there are facts that go against what Aunt Sue had always told everybody about Johny, then the vacuum that follows is something like -- well gee, if Varavara 8 isn't real, then who are the real star people and who is it that has told the truth about them?
The towns problem, to the extent that they have one, is far deeper than Steve is capable of comprehending.
I would also like to see if they had the balls to book review Tara Westover's book Educated.