Well... I wouldn't jump to conclusions about its status as a term.

It's actually a useful term in its correct application. Problem is, back in the '90s, there was a surge of PC ('politically-correct) language, in the media and in political speech. Using the term 'african american' was considered to be the best approximation to the term 'black' without saying 'black'. That was the error; many people began using the term 'african american' as a blanket term to convey someone's skin color. Very quickly it was the de facto term for 'black', even though using the word 'black' may have been a superior description, but to actually say 'black' as a description was considered rude, and even racist. Makes a hell of a lot of no sense, right? But this language was bolstered in a time of racial tension in the states, and to counter the hivemind with rational criticism of the application of the term was not 'PC'.

I remember OJ Simpson was all over the news during that time, and many times the reporters would refer to him as an 'African American' man. Well, that's not correct- he's American. His parents may have been African American, but he was born in san francisco.

Damn, now I feel old.