1 definition by J.M. Young
When movie directors cast a person of color in their films to avoid criticisms of being racist. It doesn't really work and follows along the same logic as a carbon offset, "I'm doing something bad, so I'll buy my way out of it so that I can continue to have the moral high-ground--or at least not be criticized as having a racist movie."
Samuel L. Jackson is in the new Star Wars movies, so they couldn't be racist. He's one of Lucas's melanin offsets. Mace Windu is a melanin offset for Jar-Jar Binks.
by J.M. Young August 4, 2007