I know it's an old thread but it's still worth something... I very very firmly believe it should be mandatory for all pilots and controllers to spend 1 day a year observing each others "offices"
I am regularly horrified at the way pilot colleagues whinge and moan about controllers without having the first idea about how the airspace works and what pressures said controllers have. That said I still sigh when told to slow down and go down ... both should really know better.
In today's modern crowded airspace we really are one team. It is imperative that both sides have a decent understanding of each others jobs. I would happily take controllers flying but the nation in which my aircraft are registered has decided flight decks should be impossible to get into without 12 miles of red tape.