I do wish the cables were male and ports female (think Lightning)

There's a reason 99% of barrel connectors have power on the inside. I'd be nervous too fry a USB port or charger with the live end of a cable with power exposed.

Apparently lightning cables have an authentication chip in them, because of course they do. I'm guessing this chip also protects against short circuits between power and the other lines. I don't think the USB implementers forum would like to add that kind of over-engineering to their specification.

I've only physically broken one USB-C receptacle, and in that instance the whole port got ripped off the circuitboard.