I really like Monero's ideas, but I am appalled at how hard it is to get into 'crypto' currency like coinbase etc that want my face, SSN, driver license etc.
What can I do with Paypal or a debit card? Are there any exchanges where I wouldn't need my face/SSN etc?
Purchase BTC on Local Bitcoins, then exchange to XMR. https://localbitcoins.com/
Another option is to purchase equipment to mine Monero. The network hashrate has grown over the course of time, but if you outlay capital to pick up 10-20x high end graphics cards and set up your own private pool or join a public pool, then you can acquire Monero with no exposure to Bitcoin or KYC exchanges. One nice potential side benefit with this route is that when you're done mining you can resell the graphics cards for a substantial amount, maybe 50% of what you paid for them.
Visit https://moneroForCash.com. If there are no sellers in your area you can post a free buy ad that may attract sellers. No email is needed to register or to use the site. There isn't much activity there now but that should change after Coinomi includes Monero in their mobile wallet.
Another option, although slightly more expensive, is to buy Bitcoin person-to-person at LocalBitcoins.com and then ShapeShift.io the Bitcoin into Monero.
