Davem,
your post is what I was actually thinking about while reading the whole thread. Hobbits had to be protected, just like ant-hills are fenced near kids’ playgrounds. An ant can bite, so what? A child can ruin its home just to know what is inside, or to try make it better (from their point of view).
Encaitare wrote
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For a culture to expand and grow, it cannot be isolated from a vast and vivid world; it must be opened to it.
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I only wonder why so many distinctive cultures of the world have nowadays been reduced to mere tourist attractions
Hobbits were not locked in the shire. They could go anywhere if they wished. But they were really given a choice – to remain what they were or to interact with other peoples and change – and the choice was left to them.
Besides, the King’s law was probably the only way to prevent a flood of intruders, even wishing well. Just think of the crowds of admirers willing to see the savers of the world, or just curious of the ‘newly discovered’ land and people, or even going to take advantage of their size and physical strength (as private property is not much respected in or just after wartime).
No law holds forever, but it gave time for the hobbits to get used to the changing world around them, and for Men – to lose acute interest. To my mind, as a temporary measure it was definitely a wise decision