meaning - Does "exotic" have racist connotation?



Sometimes you hear people use "exotic" to refer to something foreign to them. It can be a place, music, food, clothes, or even a person.


Some people argue that the word exotic has racist connotation because of its past history so it should not be used in today's conversations.


The question is does "exotic" still carry racist connotation or it has already put that behind and evolved into a non-racist word that can be used safely without labelling other people or cultures as inferior, non-native and distant?


Also in case "exotic" is racist, what would be a good non-racist synonym?




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