THE FACT OF THE MATTER Will people ever be able to see a young black man and not fear him? Scientists say maybe not: "'One of the questions that people often ask is, ‘Can we get rid of implicit associations?’' says psychologist Brian A. Nosek of the University of Virginia. 'The answer is no, and we wouldn’t want to. If we got rid of them, we would lose a very useful tool that we need for our everyday lives.' The problem arises when we form associations that contradict our intentions, beliefs and values. That is, many people unwittingly associate 'female' with 'weak,' 'Arab' with 'terrorist,' or 'black' with 'criminal,' even though such stereotypes undermine values such as fairness and equality that many of us hold dear."