African American?

Not being someone of olive, brown or black skin, I have never had occasion to call myself "African American". However, if we believe anthropologists, ALL people on The Big Blue Marble are of African descent. That would make anyone born in a country located on either the North or South American continents an "African American". So all you Mexicans, Canucks, Peruvians and Aleuts need to take a second look at your ethnicity. Yeah. I know what you're saying. I say "let them eat cake". That's not my modest proposal.
Manny Otiko, a gentleman born in Africa, penned an interesting article "African American or Black American - Which Term Is Accurate?" It is worth reading no matter your views on the subject.
My contention is that this divisive term is totally inaccurate. The fact that we ALL are, in some way, African Americans, is a given. When I hear some race-baiter spout vitriol under the guise of a perceived offense, frequently infusing the diatribe with "African American" references, a smile comes to my face. I then try to discern whether their views are based on ignorance or innocence. If you look at the term "African American" and, in a scholarly and objective way, dissect it, you arrive at a totally different meaning than the generally accepted one. Let's discuss it. The definitions used in the discussion were obtained from The Free Dictionary.
"African": (1) A native or inhabitant of Africa or (2) A person of African descent. Hum? OK.
"American": (1) Of or relating to the United States of America or its people, language, or culture.
(2) Of or relating to North or South America, the West Indies, or the Western Hemisphere.
(3) Of or relating to any of the Native American peoples. Interesting.
OK. Based on the first definition of "American" I might be willing to let my friends who were not born in the US off the hook. But the second and third definitions only muddle the discussion. Now "Native Americans" must be added to the picture. (The fact that they are called "Native Americans" is no longer a given. Recent anthropological discoveries seem to prove that the first Americans may have come from Scandinavia rather than Siberia or the Orient.)
Another variable to discuss. Technically, a native of The Republic of South Africa is an African. They are as white as white can be. They may have practiced or been a proponent of the practice of "apartheid". They may have participated in the active discrimination of "black" peoples in the RSA. Some were responsible for burning homes, churches, schools. Some practiced torture. By the actual definition of the terms used, they are "African American".
Don't fall victim to the racial rants of those like Rev. Dr. Louis Jesse Sharpton. Just because someone says something ad nauseum, does not make it so.