A music video by a group of mostly middle-aged French stars telling the young they can succeed only if they "do something" triggered a bitter generational row on Friday, with critics accusing the rich singers of hypocrisy, reports Reuters.
The row underlined the anger felt by France's young, facing unemployment rates upwards of 25 percent and increasingly shut out of a jobs market where permanent contracts are coveted and fiercely protected.
Penned by Grammy-winning singer Jean-Jacques Goldman and sung by a star-studded charity music collective called "Les Enfoirés" ("The Bastards"), the song "Your Whole Life" prompted a tirade of angry Twitter and blog comments.
The video has two groups of singers face off against each other and trade accusations, with people under 30 on one side and mostly older and well-established entertainers on the other.
The younger group tells the elder that they enjoyed "peace, liberty and full employment" while their own generation faces "joblessness, violence and AIDS".
The elders respond that they didn't "steal anything" and that young people should "do something" as they have their whole lives in front of them.