He absolutely knows he is accountable for what he says and does, which is exactly why he said what he said.
If there is a God, who's opinion do you think matters more? Society's, or God's?
What did Jesus say to his disciples when he sent them out? He told them he was sending them out as sheep among wolves. Because the message he was preaching was new and quite frankly, not very popular among a majority.
Christians are charged with the task of doing God's work, not man's.
Christ was crucified, John got beheaded, Paul was imprisoned, Martin Luther wasn't too popular either.
The point being, it was hardly dumb of him to say what he did, even if it meant reverting to living in a shack and eating garbage as a result.