The difference between a paternalistic and non-paternalistic state, is basically that a paternalistic state tries to actively prevent you — i.e. render you incapable of doing — things it doesn't want you to do; while a non-paternalistic state merely punishes you for doing things, hoping you'll stop yourself from doing those things by considering the potential consequences.
In a non-paternalistic state, you do kind of have the right to strike people in the nose... once. Those other people just have the right to seek justice for you having done that, and the government has a right to put you in jail for having done that — whereupon you'll have your right to strike people in the nose taken away, by being led around in manacles. But once you've served your time and return to the outside world, you'll again have the right to strike people in the nose. Once.
A paternalistic state, meanwhile, looks like e.g. having people diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital (despite never having yet actually attacked anyone) unless/until they agree to take drugs to "control" the disorder. Literally trying to ensure that such people never strike someone in the nose in the first place.
Americans don't actually fear authoritarianism (e.g. harsh punishments, for many different offenses); they mostly fear paternalism.