With all the non-apology "apologies" being offered these days, it's good to reflect on what one really is.

http://tinyurl.com/yc9k36d
The Art of Forgivenessbn By Amy H. Lederman
Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to forgive someone who has hurt your feelings? Do you hesitate to say you're sorry...The act of forgiveness is a reciprocal process because it involves two people: the one who has done the injury and the one who has been injured....the cycle of learning that when we hurt others, we must apologize for our mistakes and that when we are hurt, we should accept apologies graciously....it is not easy to forgive others, perhaps because we have difficulty in forgiving ourselves. All too often, both parties feel that they are the injured person and that it is the other person who should apologize. ...the Biblical model of Divine forgiveness,...about the sins we commit against G-d. Simply stated, man sins and G-d forgives. For G-d to forgive us, we must first take three corrective steps: acknowledge our wrongdoing, cease from doing it again and take action to do better in the future.... But what about the wrongs we commit against one another? For those, we must seek forgiveness, not from G-d, but directly from the person we have hurt. Jewish law mandates that if someone has hurt you and sincerely asks for your forgiveness, you must forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit....there is a special reward for one who freely forgives. The Talmud tells us: "For the person who overcomes his natural tendencies and instead forgives, all of his sins are forgiven." There are times however, when we are too angry or too hurt to forgive, even when we are approached by the wrongdoer. In that case, we are counseled to tell the person seeking forgiveness the truth: that we aren't ready yet but that he should come back, in a week or a month, and ask again....After three sincere requests, if we continue to refuse to forgive, then the wrongdoer is regarded as forgiven and we are now treated as the wrongdoer!...no one can forgive a crime which is committed against another person except the victim himself. Accordingly, murder, by definition, is an unforgivable act. In cases of slander..., where the damage is deemed irrevocable, forgiveness is not mandated although we are still encouraged to do so.****N.B. "If I've offended anyone, I apologize..." doesn't cut it nor does the whole list of non-apology apologies.**** In American tort law, hurting another person or their property results in the payment of compensatory damages to "make them whole." Jewish law also requires compensation for wrongdoing but goes a step further. Atonement is meant to make us whole in spirit because when we engage in the act of forgiveness, either as the person asking for it or the one granting it, we better understand the nature of being human and what it means to live with compassion.//
There's also a hypersensitivity abroad where anyone making the merest jest, however peripheral to anyone's concern, has to be noted and apologized for:
http://tinyurl.com/yb98r35