Some questions raised by the final project

Working on the final project stirred some questions up for me. One is: How much responsibility is there, or should there be on an artist (or actor) to represent something or someone with accuracy when they act with good intent? That is to say: If I claim to impersonate someone acurately, and was trying to do so out of respect and a desire for understanding and acceptance, but I couldn't, should I still perform? Even of my characterization of a voice doesn't read as insulting but it is still inaccurate, should I not perform it? I think it gets particularly sticky when the subject of the mimicry might be defined as "Other". Creation of a character is a different matter, as is an attempt at portraying a group of people. I feel that artists like Anna Deveare Smith have an obligation to portray their subjects fairly accurately when they're claiming to be impersonating a real human. In example, she chose to portray a young "cowboy". I trust her to make her voice as deep as his and to not make his accent thicker than it is. Does that trust translate into obligations? I feel that if her portrayal is off, even inadvertantly, she must not give the impression that she is accurate. I wonder if these rules change if the production, performance or art etc. might lead to knowledge, peace, inspiration or the like...