Widebody; Low Wing; 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Human Factors; Procedure
Approach control tried to demand that I take a visual to follow other traffic. It is my policy not to do so; especially at night. I informed him of this as soon as he tried to assign it to me. The controller became irate and greatly distracted me during a critical phase of flight.The controller demanding I take over the horizontal separation requirements for my visual approach.Approach controller should not over expect that an aircraft will accept a visual approach to follow other traffic. Instead; he should expect a visual to the airport or runway. He should always expect to be responsible for horizontal separation.
Pilot reported an Approach Controller demanded he accept a visual approach to follow other traffic.  When the pilot refused the clearance; the Controller became irate; causing distraction during a critical phase of flight.