If the comment pointed out a country of comparable size (within an order of magnitude) to the US with a significantly higher GDP per capita (on a similar order

If the comment pointed out a country of comparable size (within an order of magnitude) to the US with a significantly higher GDP per capita (on a similar order to the gap between the USA and China), it would have been constructive and informative. Imagine a discussion of average tech salaries among the tech giants and someone points out they know a company with 2 people and the average salary is $350k per person. That's irrelevant and derailing.