sarcasm and its meaning

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What does sarcasm mean to you?
Would you say that it exists to get back at those that have been bullying you?
Is it a defence mechanism for you?
Have you ever thought of the reason why you use sarcasm?

I actually don't like sarcasm very much. Sometimes, it's used to bring people down, and it can shut down ideas and openings in a conversation if it's used that way. Also, some people don't know when they're crossing the line and being straight-up rude, insensitive, and mean. These people take sarcasm so far that they come across as unappreciative, antisocial, and well...jerks (putting it lightly).

For me, I treat sarcasm almost exclusively as a form of humor. I try not to bring people down if I can, or at least be sarcastic in a way that's obviously meant to be a joke. Well, "obviously" being the key word. It isn't always interpreted that way. If I'm writing and the person on the other end doesn't notice something like an abrupt change in tone or something like this to give a hint, it can lead to a round robin of bad communication. Or worse, it might come across as all the bad things I wrote about earlier. That's why I'm not the biggest fan of sarcasm. Plus, I tend to deliver sarcastic quips pretty subtly or dryly. So people who don't know me really well might miss what I go for and get a bad read of things.

A fun thing I like to do when other people are sarcastic to me is to either ignore it completely or take it in the most literal sense possible. It can deflect sarcasm in such a way that the other person is left thinking "What the heck just happened?". It's nice to use if people are being jerks because it stops their momentum. So they think it's funny to be sarcastic? Pretend like they didn't say anything at all and carry on like normal. Or if you want to play their game, take what they said literally, tell them how absurd the idea is. Then when they say, "I was being sarcastic", you can smile back and say "So was I".

I don't find it as a particularly useful way for getting back at bullies. You can say all the things you want, and it's funny if bullies either don't hear you or understand you. It feels good. But it doesn't stop them from bullying you, and the hurt doesn't go away. It comes back. You need more than sarcasm to defend yourself if that's what you do to handle it. If you use sarcasm too much in this way, you're only using it to serve yourself. You might even become so used to it that others will see you as someone who's cynical and mean-spirited. They won't be able to see that you're alone, or that you're hurting.

I try not to be sarcastic too, as MDerp said above.
I often used to cross the line between humour and sarcasm, and p*ss people off.
No use against bullies, either, in my opinion.

Interesting question. I'm not sarcastic very often either. When I am it's usually about something I'm bitter about and it's putting myself down. For example to someone telling me I'd be fine doing a full course load at college I said "Right, because I did so well when I had a full course load last time I tried college and in high school. Yeah, I handle stress so well".

Sarcasm: A form of wit intended to make its victim the butt of ridicule.

Good question. I use sarcasm sometimes but never really asked myself why .. I'll have to think about this question further.

I'm not a fan of sarcasm.I found it very challenging to understand in my teens but as I get older I have gotten use to it.It is hard for some people wit aspergers to understand sarcasm because is sarcasm humour or just someone being mean?

I try to avoid sarcasm. I find it disingenuous, passive aggressive, and mentally and emotionally abusive.

I understand its potential value as a source of humor, but too often it is just an attempt to veil a mean spirit.

I use sarcasm because I like it. It's fun. Nothing more to it than that.