Except the live wire is the one that’s switched. So if you plug it in backwards, the neutral is the one that’s switched. And if they aren’t careful with how the wiring is done, you potentially have live voltage on the outside of your metal cased device.
For another example, your standard e26 bulb can have part of the thread exposed. If the neutral and live are swapped, that threaded bit is hooked to live, instead of the proper neutral.