Oh, I’m not defending the monarchy at all. They can absolutely go to hell. There is a big leap between “the monarchy is fundamentally evil” and “standard military parade practices around the world are unsafe,” and then to “we shouldn’t let children perform in choirs because they’re constantly fainting.” I latched on to that latter piece because it’s so ridiculous.

Locking your knees causes more blood to pool in the lower extremities so less of it reaches the brain. It normally takes at least several continuous minutes of standing with your knees locked like this to faint. It sometimes happens when singing in a choir, or standing in formation, because

a) you have to stand in the same position for extended periods of time,

b) your body is consuming oxygen faster because of singing, a warm uniform, and/or hot weather, and

c) you may be so focused on your task that you disregard your discomfort and don’t even realize you’re locking your knees or feeling faint.

When I fainted in choir rehearsal, I think I was only unconscious for a couple seconds. I fell forward on my hands and knees and came to my senses at the choir director’s feet. I felt really flushed and clammy at the same time, almost feverish, and it took a few more seconds after I regained consciousness for my vision to clear. Basically as soon as I was horizontal and normal blood flow resumed, I started to recover immediately. But if heat stroke or other factors are involved, that might not be the case. I don’t envy that soldier being carried on a stretcher in that picture; I don’t know what kind of environmental factors or underlying conditions may have been involved.

By that logic we should close all roads because we EXPECT automobile crashes to happen, we should cease all construction and industry because we EXPECT accidents to happen, we should ban all sports because we EXPECT injuries to happen, etc.

I’m chiming in as someone who actually fainted during a choir practice. Our teacher cautioned us at least five different times not to lock our legs for that exact reason, but in the moment I wasn’t thinking, and I locked my legs. It happened only one time, and I was the only kid who fainted in the entire four years I sang in that choir. But oh, how inhumane of our school for hosting a choir recital (gasp!). It sure was evil of them to put us in a situation with a normal level of risk while trained first aid personnel were present.

I think maybe you’re just severely overestimating how much it happens. The other person used the word “commonly,” but you used the word “constantly,” and that is not the same thing at all. We have to prepare for the most common mishaps because there are inherent risks in everything we do. But I assure you, if people were constantly passing out in parades and choir recitals, we would stop having them.