Dunno
Your face saving has a ways to go.
All this talk of how many runways an airport has isn't the only metric to determine the competence of your controllers as almost all of you are pointing out. Add in crossing runways and crossing final approach courses. One runway with for the most part only arrivals to it, another runway with only departures. volume, no complexity. Trying controlling arrivals off of 9L at ORD, your launching departures off 32L which conflict. Launching aircraft off of 4L which conflicts. If your really busy they might even be launching off 32R at the same time, which also conflicts. All that while the next arrival is only a few back. Arrive the same runway, just like LHR, but instead of only having to wait till the arrival is clear as in LHR, you have two runways you normally have to shoot the gap with departures along with the traffic on final. That's only half the airport, there's a whole different set of runways in use on the other side of the airport. Damn near a million ops a year. Makes one runway, one departure, one arrival seem down right sedate in comparison.
Again dunno, if your competence is in question, ask your Captain to fly the leg (is this where with great indignation you claim to be the Capt?) or don't go. You do have a responsibility to your passengers if the destination is beyond your capabilities, your aircraft isn't appropriate to the task or if you believe the ATC on the other end to be trying to kill you. Simply don't go. I would have more respect for your acknowledgment of your shortcomings or your belief in our ATC's shortcomings and simply not push the levers up.
"I don't know a single pilot (and I include the many US pilots I know) who has an iota of respect left for US ATC"
I bet I know more US pilots than you, even if however I don't I know a few who still respect the US system for their ability to move more traffic than anyone else. You surely know more Euro pilots, I however do know a couple who manage in ORD minus the whining. They accept they have to be on top of their game when they fly in to the worlds busiest airport. Over time I've heard most say kind things about ORD and US ATC in general.
Do you intend to stop flying in to US airspace? If I thought someone or some system either in or out of aviation was trying to kill me, I would likely stop going there. Especially so with the responsibility of the paying pax in back. Do you feel that same responsibility?
BTW, UA 747's arrive 9L on a regular basis. Perhaps those heavy pilots need some schooling from you.