Could or Couln't?

"I could care less."

I was walking through the hallway at school when I heard the above quote. I myself could be quoted as using this saying before, but I never really thought about it until now. However, hearing it this time made me think. Later in the day I heard the same thing. A person was complaining about some homework and another peer told him that he could, "Care less."

Being guilty of using this phrase embarrassed me for a second. This phrase is often used to describe a situation in which you have reached the minimum point of care for something. Used to express your greatest disgust, but was it really doing that?

After some thought, I realized it wasn't. It hadn't really occurred to me at first, but by saying you could care less you are indicating that you are the MAXIMUM amount of caring. After this realization came about, I started to notice that almost everyone said, "I could care less," and not, "I couldn't care less."

This further shows how such a simple change in one word can mean all the difference in the sentence's emphasis. I have become careful as to which I use now. Everyone else, however, keeps using the wrong one willy nilly. As if they both meant the same thing! This is my irritation with American slang and phrases. Their logic.