With respect to “corners” at the lower levels, I see this as a safety issue - to be clear, I see their inclusion as a positive thing for safety. A corner at novice is by definition set at a forgiving height, and as others have pointed out, is often built such that even if the widest part were jumped it would essentially be a bigger table.
For me, this is important because it teaches horses or riders on the way up how to deal with this type of fence at a size where mistakes are more easily forgiven. I feel the same about combinations. If a brand new element appears on a Prelim course, the horse/rider has to both figure out the concept and deal with the height simultaneously. This is a big ask and if they misunderstand, it is no longer so easy to safely recover. If they have already seen something similar at novice, and now just have to deal with more angle, a bigger fence, fewer strides in the combination, etc, they already have the tools in their box to handle it and just have to take the next step in difficulty. That is a much more reasonable ask, and I consider that a much safer situation.
I do feel for people who are riding at the lower levels and wish to do so in perpetuity. If you never want to tackle a “real” corner, it can be intimidating to have to add that skill to your repertoire at all. But I think the safety of horses and riders aiming to move up the levels has to come before the enjoyment of more recreational competitors.
