i reckon i'll drown in this conversation, but it seems to me that the possibility exists that "pathetic" in this case might not necessarily mean 'deserving scorn' as much as a derivation of pathetikos, or "sensitive".

when we're enveloped in emotional turmoil of some kind, our sensitivities may be heightened, producing a sort of reverse empathetic anthropomorphization... an extension of sorts to 'when we laugh the world laughs with us...'

just an unedumacated guess =)


EDIT: it occurs to me to post a brief stanza from dorothy parker which seems exemplary here:

"A Two Volume Novel" (by Dorothy Parker)
The sun's gone dim
And the moon's turned black
For I loved him
And he didn't love back