poignant?

> His next major growth spurt came when his university career ended. When Oxford University rejected his master’s application in 2020, Edwards posted a video of himself crying, entitled “oxford university rejected my masters application… (sorry this video is sad)”. Social media rewards confession. Authenticity, sincerity and vulnerability were important – more important than orthodox intellectual baubles.

It's literally pathetic.

    pathetic
    /pəˈθɛtɪk/
    arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness.
    "she looked so pathetic that I bent down to comfort her"

Echoing another commenter: poignant? Reading the article, for me it was poignant, only mildly, in the archaic sense of the word (sorry! But seriously—dystopian is the first word I'd use.)

I'm interested in your interpretation and what you took away from reading that. Can you elaborate?