Is Conformism really a sin?

One of the major difficulties that a teacher encounters in his/her career is non-conformist attitude / tendency in students /youngsters. Is conformism so bad? The way we look down upon it as if it is a deadly sin intrigues me. Don't we all conform to many things in life? Can we not conform for the sake of a common cause and still be happy? Why are we so rebellious about everything, vociferously protesting against all norms. 'We want freedom' is our refrain. But can freedom come without responsibility? Are we mature enough to handle freedom? Were the girls who stripped under the influence of alcohol in a public place in Kolkata "free"? Physically and literally - yes they were. Did they behave responsibly? Certainly not. Why do we try to abuse / take undue advantage of the freedom that we already have? Is freedom something that is given to us? Or is it something that we already have? And the biggest question is, are we in the name of freedom trying to go too far? "Ah! You are a puritan," "generation gap - you don't understand," "You are a traditionlist - to hell with you" - choicest expressions commonly used to attack those insisting on order. Is the attack really fair, especially when it comes from those who expect fairness from others. How long can we go on like this? Will the situation change?