Sufjan was clearly trying to provoke a reaction, and he succeeded. I think it's a bit much to expect the reactee to be completely level-headed in their response.
I think the cussing works in context. I've got a thing against gratuitous cussing, but I don't think this was gratuitous. This felt like soul-baring. Did you notice what the backing vocals were singing at this point? As best I can tell, it's: "I'm not f***ing around / (but I want to be)"
i guess i just feel that reacting in a way that is "disappointed" leads me to believe you can put people in a box, and i disagree with that. regardless if you're an artist making music or some average joe hitting your thumb with a hammer and letting out a painful "F--!" the idea that "i'm disappointed in you because you said swears" just seems so archaic to me. i mean i read this interview that he did on Oct 12. he talks about his faith in God and his beliefs... and in the comments someone posted something to the effect of "oh i'm so glad he's still a christian! for a minute there, i thought we lost him!" (i'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea)
but i agree with Jono.. what he says and how he says it and when it is said in that song all absolutely makes sense to me.
