From the friendly folks at FSSes (Flight Service Stations), who are sort of stepchildren in the ATC system, to the controllers at the ARTCCs (air route traffic control centers), the personnel in ATC (air traffic control) are on the whole, with rare exceptions, men and women are the greatest public servants in the history of the human race. They will often go way beyond what is required to serve the flying public. If a pilot asks nicely and makes reasonable requests, he or she will usually get whatever they want. Of course, if the pilot makes unreasonable demands he may find himself vectored many miles out of his way. It's all in how you ask.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/eye-of-experience-40the-pilot-atc-and-special-vfr