C and C++ have considerably overlap in use cases, which is what makes this argument valid.
Comparing C or C++ to Ruby or LISP is stupid.
Comparing C or C++ to Ruby or LISP is stupid.
But comparing C or C++ to C# isn't completely off the mark. And comparing C# to Java isn't crazy either. And once you're at Java, there are plenty of cases where a comparison to Ruby or Lisp makes sense.
So anytime a use case starts in Java (web, mobile, and desktop applications), I think there are very good comparisons to be had on which direction to go.