The Lilliputians are the first people that Gulliver visits when he begins his travels. The Lilliputians have a system of government in which they do not appoint the most intelligent, or capable, person to a particular job. Instead, they appoint the person who can better perform rope dancing. This rope dancing is dangerous, as the ropes are a foot high (very high for the tiny Lilliputians). This satire exemplifies the way the government of England is not always ruled by clever people either, but only by those who do the most to impress the people in positions of power.