Making_Social_Lives_Tma_01

After studying the Social Lives 2009 DVD on quite a few occasions, the comparison I am making to City Road in Cardiff for the purpose of this essay is called King Street in Kilmarnock. This street is not as long as my compared one but hosts much the same selection of businesses’ and the different people that make up a community. On a day to day level the shops selling food, home wares, clothes, electrical goods, banks, newsagents, chemists, the fruit stalls and more, does not vary very much no matter what area you are from, even taking into account the empty premises which are prominent anywhere. The differences come into play when differences become inequalities. With Kilmarnock’s varied, busy and colourful shops, stores and the precinct shopping centre which is completely under cover, the lack of toilet facilities for both normal and disabled users are at an absolute minimum, with child changing facilities no better off. The public toilets are situated in the shopping precinct and that is to serve the whole length of the street. If you are at one end and need to go then it is a case of “Oh Dear Me” One café owner absolutely refuses to allow anyone to use the toilet on the premises whether they are customers or not. That, should not be allowed especially with children. The street itself is not very wide and with one side covered to a degree, it affords some shelter in the rain whilst the other side is open to all the elements, and even although the street is of cobbled stones and not very wheelchair or pram friendly it still doesn’t stop the shoppers doing what they come for. It becomes even worse though, when the market comes. The stalls are all lined up on either side of the street outside the shops so the actual space for walking becomes somewhat limited, tempers then tend to become rather frayed on occasions. City Road is more people friendly in that respect. What a mixture of people you meet on a visit here, all groups and cultures, young and old all mingling in a popular area of which the busy bus station is situated right beside the beginning of the “street“ and, the taxi rank is adjacent to the bus station, with the railway station just a quarter of a mile away. That means no shortage of transport to get here or return home at the end of the shopping trip. Although King Street is now for pedestrians only and City Road is not, it still gives access for the deliveries to all the businesses’, although this tends to be carried out before the street starts to come to life in the mornings. Unfortunately, the ethic groups are not catered for here, so to buy food, clothing and other things suited to their own cultures they need to travel to either Ayr which is approximately 14 miles away or Glasgow which is 25 miles away in the opposite direction. Comparing it to City Road, this could be viewed as both a difference and an inequality. Parking here is really quite good with plenty of parking spaces, with the disabled and the parent drivers catered for. Places to have a snack or a drink or both are plentiful as well, although actual pubs are more to be found up the side streets and down the bottom end of King Street itself. Take- away shops are very varied, with lots of choice and depending on a person’s personal taste they will always find something which suits their palates. When the shops close for the day, King Street becomes a very different place. It then becomes a thoroughfare for those going to the pubs and clubs in that area, and like City Road trouble can start up, and it is then a different side to the street is to be seen. On occasions the police presence is of a high level, depending on how serious the situation is. Then, people become very wary about walking about in case they are accosted, which happens for no other reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Again, this could be City Road being described. Hopefully I have given an account of some of the differences the sameness and the inequalities that are every day occurrences not only in King Street, Kilmarnock but City Road, Cardiff too. Reading “Introducing the Social Sciences", was the real support. Word Count = 750