Guardian columnist Emma Beddington responds to American claims that Europeans are "Europoor" — mocked online for lower salaries, higher taxes and reliance on public transport compared with the US. She acknowledges some truth to the jibe, citing figures showing stronger US GDP growth and higher cost-of-living-adjusted wages, but argues these statistics ignore quality-of-life factors such as healthcare access, life expectancy and inequality where Europe fares better.

The article cites OECD data showing average US earnings of $86,977 versus $66,299 in the UK, $76,286 in Germany and $60,483 in France, alongside faster post-pandemic GDP growth in the US (15.6% versus 7.2% in the eurozone and 6.3% in the UK). Beddington counters with a tongue-in-cheek list of areas where Europe remains "exceedingly rich," ranging from cheese and cycling culture to religious heritage, food safety, eccentric historical monarchs and dental authenticity.