When someone is talking Shul, it prevents ME from concentrating on my tefilos. They can always walk outside the building, and lose their own zechus of tefilah sadly, but they have no right to cause me to lose mine. When I am speaking to Hashem, I don’t need to hear about football scores or someone’s loshon hara.
I did not discern any hate in Wolf’s comments. I am as frustrated as he, in this matter. If nothing more, it is a lack of kovod beis haknesses, and even a lack of self-respect. A person who believes himself to be a holy being created b’Tzelem Elokim, would not act with such a lack of derech eretz while in Shul (or anywhere, for that matter)